Elven Enchanted: Under Your Spell
by Amelia Peace
Summary: Book I of the Elven Enchanted Series. Eleniel has been wandering through time, trying to find her forever home. With her strange ways and mysterious past, will she find a home in Smallville, Kansas with the Kents? As her life is beginning anew, what happens when a handsome young billionaire is introduced in the equation? - Lex/OC - M for Adult Contents
1. Chapter I  Invite The Girl

**Kiss The Girl**

Kathryn A. Slate

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: I don't own Smallville or the sexy Lex Luthor, but Eleniel Renee Romanov is an original fiction character of my creation and is not to be used by any other author.<strong>

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><p>Chapter 1 – Invite The Girl<p>

The sweltering heat lay across the Kansas plains like the layers of a thick, wool blanket, too heavy and uncomfortable for the season but born of necessity. The sky was a flat steel gray though the thickening of green-tinted clouds in the west heralded a coming storm. Hopefully it would break the heat wave, but it was doubtful.

The figure of a woman stood in the fields of the Kent farm, short locks of ebony hair blew in the wind as an ivory hand swept them back out of her eyes. The woman's eyes were very strange. One eye contained all the shades of green from a sunlight forest while the other was a rich amber brown. She scanned the area with these strange eyes, her sight easily reaching to the borders of the Kent property which stretched over several hundred acreage. The wind blew stronger again and she finally tucked her hair behind a pointed ear, its shape matched the symbolic ears of elves in the Lord of the Rings, but of course she wasn't from that story, but she was an elf nevertheless.

The elven woman's name was Eleniel Renee Romanov, but those that knew her called her Ellen. She ran her fingers through the sweat drenched locks and grimaced at the amount of moisture that accumulated.

"I haven't felt this hot since Irelend, 1941." She murmured as she turned toward the house grateful that her chores was over for the day Memories of her old life entertained her mind in her journey to the barn. She had lived for over 400 years and had be cursed in a deep comatose-like sleep, when she was awakened, she was sent to Earth to be raised in the earth's time in the frozen land of Russia, trained to kill, to survive. But soon she wasn't satisfied with the limited knowledge, so she fled the country under the cover of her adopted families massacre. She traveled through times, different eras by the magic of the elves, absorbing knowledge and wisdom in many cultures and was taught many things by great masters of the martial arts for a hundred years.

Because of her supernatural mind, learning was quick which left her with more time to see the world Earth. Before she knew it she had abandoned killing and had become a child of nature, learning the Craft of experienced witches and gypsies for a hundred years.

And now, she was here, 300 and so years later. When she came to this world, to this time and place to be exact, she hadn't expected something like this to happen. Something she had not meaning to, discovered. She found love. Or in a better term, experienced 'love at first sight'. A dangerous thing for an elf to be in love, if it didn't end well the heart that was given to the lover would break and the elf would perish instantly. It was quite cliché but it was a part of life.

Now back to the topic of love. As she was passing through a city called Metropolis she chanced to see him. He was human but he might as well have been one of her kin. He possessed unearthly beauty, skin as fair as her own and with eyes that were like the rare blue metal of mithryl. What was strange about his appearance was the lack of hair, but she knew that it had to have been beautiful as well, perhaps a rich walnut brown or perhaps a vibrant red as the sunset. And she was fell in love.

She adapted to the time and befriending few but sadly got absolutely no where. Leaving the city to the countryside she chanced to meet a young boy whom she had mistaken for her own kin, with his speed and strength. You see, elves were also known for these abilities, but this boy was much more powerful than she.

She managed to strike a deal with the boy's parents, allowing her to take residence into there home if she offered herself as a full-time farm hand and housekeeper.

The Kents were in Metropolis, An old classmate of Martha's was getting married-for the third time-and, after much deliberation, she'd decided to attend and make a weekend in Metropolis out of it. So Ellen volunteered to look the farm till they got back.

Clark was with his parents, so she was alone for the most part, occasionally making a trip to the town but stayed at the farm, tending the animals and taking care of the home.

Sighing, Ellen reached up again, and ran her hand through the short locks of black hair. She did not like this heat. Whoever said summertime was the best part of a human's youth obviously hadn't visited Smallville at anytime. School was out for the summer, and helping out around the farm was pretty much what her world had narrowed down to for the next few months.

Now the school part in her experience was interesting, for a majority of the classes she passed practically in her sleep since it had been things she knew, such as history, but the classes that involved the study and practice of technology, she found interesting and entertaining.

Walking into the barn's shade, Ellen could feel the sweat running down her back. The shade really didn't offer any respite from the afternoon sun, and she knew that it wouldn't be much cooler inside the Kent's house. And conjuring a rain storm took too much effort so she settled for the next best thing. The hose.

Pulling off her sweaty droopy blouse and skirt, she hung the garments on the railing and walked around to the outside of the barn in her underwear. Turning on the spout, she let it run until the water coming out of the hose was cool to the touch, then, bending over; she doused her head and neck, immediately feeling less sun-shriveled from the wetting.

Straightening up, she shook her head to get the water out of her eyes, and then drank long and deep.

Once her parched throat was eased, she held the hose over her head after she was finished drinking, Ellen simply let the water run down over her, washing away most of the dust and dirt she'd accumulated in the fields. Over the sound of the water, her elf-hearing picked up a low, throaty rumble and looked around the side of the barn to see a sleek gray sports car pull up in front of the house, one she recognized immediately. It looked like Lex was back in town.

Grinning, Ellen turned off the water and raked her wet black hair off her face. Ducking into the barn, she grabbed her skirt and pulled it on then headed toward the house, blouse in hand. Pausing before she cast a glamor on her features to make her appear human and less... mature.

"Hello!" she called, breaking into a trot, her wet sneakers squishing with each stride and leaving muddy imprints behind her in the dirt.

Lex had returned to Smallville the night before, having finished up his business in Metropolis earlier than anticipated. Not even to himself would he admit that he'd pushed the negotiations as much as possible because he missed seeing a certain odd-eyed girl whom he'd grown very fond of chatting with.

He had absolutely nothing in common with Ellen Romanov at first glance, but he'd discovered an amazingly astute mind behind those odd colored-eyes and a nearly unique ability and willingness to treat Lex Luthor the same as anyone else. With Ellen he never had to wonder what she was after; Ellen spent time with him because she actually liked him, though most likely not the way he liked her. And that despite his own father's opposition!

How he met her was an interesting story. It was a regular business day in Metropolis when he first saw her, dressed in brightly colored bohemian clothes that made her stand out in the dismal crowd. She was heading for the train station and without knowing it he had followed her, surprised to learn that she was working there. He had made it a priority to take the train whenever his schedule allowed it, and sometimes when it didn't. He made sure to only by tickets from her booth, but he never lingered to talk. Such an action was very un-Luthor like. However fate had a way to deal with his hesitance.

The day she responded was the day he fell on the tracks. A band of muggers had attacked him trying to rob him of any valuables on his person, succeeded in shoving him onto the tracks. His head connected with the hard surface of the rails and of course he blacked out. But the moment he came to, _she _was hovering over him, like a guardian angel. And he blacked out again. When he woke up for good he was in the hospital and his angel was asleep in a chair next to his bed.

Before he could get her name, his father had burst into the room practically scaring the raven beauty away. He had returned to the mansion with a headache and heart ache to see the girl again. When had returned he was saddened to find that she had been fired, the reason was leaving the booth unattended and taking care of him instead.

His poor staff suffered his moodiness as the girl seemed to vanish off the face of the earth, he had even gone to the trouble of pulling her employment card but the information had ever so conveniently disappeared, he had suscpeted his father's hand in the matter.

It wasn't until one week later that he was on his annual coffee break at the Talon when he saw her again, still dressed in the gypsy styled clothing, standing next to none other than Clark Kent, who appeared to be introducing her to his friends. Her surprise and flustered attitude had emerged when she saw him there, and as Clark introduced the two of them, she gave him the most beautiful smile he had ever seen.

Without a doubt, he knew.

It was love at first sight.

Back to the present, he'd been able to hold out until early afternoon, but as soon as he'd finished lunch, Lex had found himself in his car on his way to the Kent farm. Only he'd never anticipated something like this. As he'd pulled up, he'd been treated to the sight of a Ellen in a bikini, or maybe that was her underwear, standing in the yard with water gushing over her, looking like a centerfold or an incredibly erotic fantasy. Swallowing hard and praying his pants didn't show anything, Lex smiled in return and got out of the car.

"Hello, Ellen." He glanced around, noticing that the Kents' truck was missing. "Have the Kents gone to town?"

"They're in Metropolis." Ellen informed. "They had something going on and somebody had to stay here to mind the farm."

"Well, then, since you have some time on your hands, why not come back to my place? I can offer you a pool, air conditioning, and a good dinner. I'm sure we can figure out some way to pass the time." He ruthlessly clamped down on the mental images leaping to his mind of how he'd like to pass the time with Ellen.

"Sounds tempting." Ellen looked at Lex, who was dressed fashionably as always, his clothes not at all wrinkled from the drive over, then at his car. "I'd better get cleaned up first. Don't want to leave a wet spot on your leather. C'mon in and I'll change. Want something to drink?"

She was babbling, feeling oddly nervous around him, and she didn't know why, she never acted like this, ever. But the way Lex had looked at her when he was getting out of the car... it made her stomach clench and not in a way that was unpleasant. What's going on? Am I ill? Is this because of love?

God, was Ellen _trying_ to drive him out of his mind? The last thing Lex needed to be thinking about was wet spots since that instantly made him imagine Ellen sprawled limply on Lex's bed atop the wet spot he'd made when he had sex with her. His mouth gone dry, Lex had to swallow a few times before he could manage to speak. "Yeah, I wouldn't mind something wet." He turned toward the house easily, heading for the kitchen and trying not to think about a naked Ellen getting changed upstairs while he waited.

"Lemonade okay?" At Lex's nod, Ellen pulled the pitcher out of the fridge and poured a glass, handing it to Lex before getting herself one and guzzling it down without stopping to breathe. "I'll be down in a minute. There're some cookies Mrs. Kent left on the table if you want some."

Waiting until Lex sat, looking somewhat uncomfortable as he perched on the chair, Ellen scurried up the stairs, kicking off her shoes and hanging her wet clothes over the shower rod before drying herself off with a towel. Throwing on a light summer dress from the Pyramd Collection she was addicted to, she put on a blessed garnet pendant to give her and increase in her self-esteem if she was to spend any amount of time with the human she loved. Once her hair was combed, styled and parted to the side, she put a dab of lemon lip butter on her lips, then trotting down the stairs, getting halfway before recalling Lex had mentioned the pool.

"Forgot a swimsuit, be right back!" she shouted, turning and heading back upstairs.

"Please don't bother on my account," Lex muttered, knowing that there was no way Ellen could possibly hear him. What the hell was wrong with him? Usually he had more self-control than this, but ever since he'd arrived to the vision of a half-naked Ellen, his hormones had been raging. He shifted uncomfortably, his pants much tighter than they should be, and took a long swallow of the glass of homemade lemonade, then tried to busy his mind by looking around the kitchen. He frowned at the small pot that looked a little like a coldron and the strange herbs and ingredients lying on the counters, he noted the vials fill with different colored liquid.

_What the... were those... potions? _Shaking his head he took a sip of his drink.

Elf hearing picked that up. "Don't bother?" Ellen paused as she dug through her dresser, looking for her swimsuit she knew she'd bought not to long ago. "Huh?" Wondering if maybe they weren't going swimming, she shrugged. She couldn't bring the subject up, not when there was not a normal way she could have heard Lex, so it had to be ignored.

Wrapping her swimsuit in a towel, Ellen rushed down the stairs once again. "Think I've got everything this time. Just let me close the west windows in case it rains. I wouldn't be asked to come here again if Kents came home to a wet house."

Lex groaned faintly once Ellen had left the room. She was so beautiful and if she didn't stop talking about things getting wet soon, Lex wasn't going to be responsible for his actions. "And I'm going to be dead of sheer frustration!" he grumbled under his breath. "You're driving me crazy, Ellen Romanov!" Draining his glass, then carried it over to the sink to rinse it, remembering the expression on Jonathan Kent's face one time when he'd left a used dish on the table.

Lex's comment caught Ellen unawares, and she closed the window with more strength then she should have used, sending it rattling in its frame. _Driving him... Frustration..._ That combined with the look she'd been given earlier caused the pieces to come together, though Ellen almost couldn't believe the picture they presented. Lex... wanted her.

She had to stop herself from to the happy-dance.

"All shut." Trying to act as though she hadn't just had a startling revelation she walked back into the kitchen. "Storm is coming fast, so we'd better hurry or we're gonna get soaked."

Lex swallowed hard at _that_ mental image and made a note to himself to start buying pants a size larger for when he planned to spend any time around this girl. "I'm ready whenever you are." _In more ways than one._

As he strode toward the door, he glanced casually back over his shoulder. "When are the Kents due back, tonight? If so when do I need to get you home by, Cinderella?"

Slipping into a pair of sandals, she reached around Lex and opened the door and held it for him to go through. "They're staying over in Metropolis, a mini-vacation and all that." She replied.

"Ah. Well, you're perfectly welcome to spend the night, take advantage of the air-conditioning and all. I'm sure the homestead will be fine for a few hours without you." Lex very determinedly did _not_ think about Ellen spending the night in _his_ bed, instead sliding into the car and behind the wheel, waiting till Ellen was in and buckled up before starting the engine.

Ellen glanced back at the house as she climbed into the car, her expression conflicted. If she went, things were going to change. She wasn't sure just how, but they would. "Promise to get me back in time before they come home?" she asked, locking her seatbelt and glancing at Lex, her decision made.

Shuddering ostentatiously at the idea of getting up at the crack of dawn, Lex agreed. "Just tell me that they're not coming back early in the morning?" he begged, unconsciously speeding slightly as he drove Ellen back to his home. He could feel the unusual tension between them, and although he wasn't sure what was causing it, he realized that the slight electricity was only making him want Ellen more.

"Not until after lunch." Ellen had to laugh aloud at the sudden relief visible in Lex's expression. "There's a brunch or something tomorrow morning that they were going to." She paused. "If it's a problem, I don't mind walking, or I can come back tonight..."

"No, that's fine," Lex instantly replied in a slightly rougher than usual tone. "You might as well sleep comfortably. I have plenty of room." He pulled into the garage at the Luthor castle with relief, glad not to have to keep his attention on his driving any longer when all he wanted to concentrate on was Ellen.

"I'll take you up to the room you can use first so you can put your stuff away," not mentioning that it was the connecting suite to Lex's own, "then we can have that swim and cool off."

"I'm looking forward to it." Ellen followed Lex into the house and down hallways she'd grown familiar with over the past year since she works there as a part-time maid. "Oh, I didn't bring anything to sleep in." She frowned but had to bite her bottom lip to prevent her from bursting out in laughter at the sight of Lex's face when he heard _that_.

Lex thought he was going to burst through his pants. This was ridiculous! He glanced back at Ellen. But damn, she was gorgeous! If she only knew what her innocent remarks were doing to her friend.

"Here it is." Lex gestured Ellen inside the room, not entering himself. "I'll give you a few minutes to change, while I go back to my room and change too." _And jerk off so I don't embarrass myself!_ "I'll be right back."

Ellen practically fell over her feet when Lex all but pushed her into the bedroom. "Yeah, sure. Want me to wait for you here or come over to your room when I'm done?"

Eyes widening into an expression of near horror, Lex hastily replied, "No, no, make yourself at home. I'll come back for you as soon as I change." Hastily bolting from the room, Lex fled the few feet down the hall to his own door and nearly fell inside. The door was barely closed behind him when his pants were down around his ankles and he was jerking himself off, moaning Ellen's name as he came.

Panting, he slumped against the door, stunned by the heat of his lust for that girl. He sighed and scooped up his semen-spattered pants, tossing them into the small hamper that was emptied every day, and headed into his bathroom for a quick shower. Ellen would just have to wait an extra minute or two while he washed the scent of sex from his body.

Both stunned and aroused because once she'd tuned into Lex, she couldn't _stop_ hearing him and everything he was doing and saying. Ellen blinked. She wasn't naïve to the mating rituals that other races commenced in, but this...

_Lex had commenced! And was thinking about me!_

She swallowed, her calm demeanor replaced with that of a flustered virgin. She stripped from her clothes and pulled on her swimsuit then began pacing around the room.

"Do I wish pursue this?"

"Mating is meant to be sacred to my kin."

"Should I give him my heart?"

She stopped and placed a hand on her chest. No... that's right. She already did. When she had first laid eyes on him. A horrifying thought entered her mind.

"What if he breaks my heart?"

She put a hand to her lips as a feeling of terror prickled its way through her body, using her spine as a main road.

"Then I will die."

Taking hold of her garnet necklace, she began a ritual to bless herself, the man next door for what was to happen all the while, chanting in elven.

**'Give me strength."**


	2. Chapter II  Kiss The Girl

Chapter 2 – Kiss The Girl.

Feeling much better once he'd showered, Lex pulled on his swimsuit and strolled down the hall to Ellen's room, choosing not to use the connecting door and possibly spook her. Satisfied that his lust was back under control, he thought that he would be able to enjoy simply spending time with the young girl.

At least he thought so until he saw Ellen sitting on the bed in a model pose in a dark green swimsuit. Oh, he was _so_ screwed! "Come on, I don't know about you, but I definitely need to cool down."

Ellen blinked at that and couldn't help the blush that heated her cheeks as she thought of what Lex had been doing to get himself hot. "I was beginning to think you got lost in there," she teased, standing and grabbing her towel, then crossing to where Lex stood at the door. "Just don't tell me your pool's heated, please?"

Lex could feel the heat of Ellen's body, she stood so close, and he had to try a couple of times before he could force a word out of his dry throat. "No, I like it cold. There's always the Jacuzzi for afterward if we want hot water, though I can't imagine that in this weather." He pivoted on his heel, intent upon reaching the concealment of the cold water before Ellen realized what was going on.

"No thanks, I've been hot for the most of today; the cold is what I need." Lex was very quiet as they walked toward the pool, leaving Ellen to fill the gaps with a run-down untrue version of what she'd been doing that day (apart from the potion making in the kitchen, of course). "Probably not as exciting as yours I'll bet," she added with a grin as she tossed her towel onto one of the deck chairs.

Lex shrugged. "Nothing much. I got up, caught up on some work, had lunch, and decided that I needed company to play hooky from work for the rest of the day." He dove into the water with perfect form, hoping the sudden dousing of cold water would deal with his incipient erection before Ellen noticed. Although seemingly oblivious to his own appeal, Ellen was no fool, and she was bound to put two and two together if Lex spent all his time in her company with a hard on.

Ellen slid into the water without the theatrics, ducking herself under and sighing happily as she floated on her back, tracking Lex by the sound of him swimming. "Glad I could be of assistance. How was Metropolis? Do anything new or interesting there?"

"Argued with my father, but that's neither new nor interesting." Lex swam a little closer, helplessly running a hungry gaze over Ellen when he thought she wasn't looking. "How 'bout you, enjoying your summer?"

"It's been quiet," Ellen admitted, shifting to tread water when she heard Lex come up alongside her and felt the heat of his gaze. "Everyone's been away: The Kents, Clark's friends, you..." She shrugged slightly and ducked her head under the water again, getting a very clear view of Lex's pale torso, down over his dark purple Speedos and over his legs, surfacing quickly before she became fixated on what was beneath that clinging fabric. "Sorry, don't mean to sound like I'm complaining."

"No problem, I suppose it is dull around here with everyone away. But you know you're welcome to come over whenever you like. Even if I'm not here and when you're not working, you could always use the pool and gym." Lex liked the idea of Ellen spending time here, almost like she belonged. Realizing what he was thinking, he shook his head almost violently and threw himself into swimming laps, doing about a dozen before he worked off the frustration.

Realizing that Lex was as determined to avoid a conversation as she was trying to start one, Ellen stroked over to the edge of the pool and pushed herself out to sit on the ledge, watching Lex do laps, silently admiring the grace and precision of each stroke and the way Lex moved through the water.

When Lex finally stopped, she leaned forward. "Thanks for the offer. Are you going to be away a lot this summer?" God, now she sounded like a clingy child, not good at all.

One eyebrow rose curiously, but Lex simply replied, "No, I think I'll stick around. It's easier to get things done without my father looking over my shoulder. Besides, friends hang out together, right?" He smiled at Ellen, wondering what she would do if he suddenly swam over to her and kissed her. Not that he would, of course. Lex had no intention of losing Ellen's friendship.

For a split second the term friend didn't appeal to Ellen at all, all most as she wanted something more... "Definitely." For a second there, Ellen caught a glimpse of something in Lex's expression, but then it was gone, shuttered behind his normal smile. "I'm glad you came by today, Lex, and glad you invited me over." Ellen slipped back into the water, swimming over to Lex. "Ever play Marco Polo?"

Lex looked blank. "No, what is it?" First insulated from others by his father's wealth and later by children's intolerance for those who were different, which Lex's baldness certainly made him, he had never really had friends growing up or played the games that most kids took for granted.

The image of Lex's isolation as a child hit Ellen hard, and she felt an incredible urge to pull Lex to her and hug him close. "It's a game, a kids' game. I've never played it before but I heard about it." She felt slightly embarrassed describing it. "One person closes their eyes and calls out 'Marco'; the other ones-or one in this case-has to answer 'Polo' and try to keep the one who's it from catching them... without getting out of the water."

She glanced around the large pool. "Might be hard to do here though, there's a lot of room to cover."

The idea of Ellen reaching for him, hands brushing over his bare flesh, made Lex shiver and harden despite the cool water. "Sounds like it could be fun. Shall we give it a try?" He wondered if he was going to survive this day, but suffering unrequited lust in Ellen's presence was infinitely better than anything else he could imagine just then.

"Okay, do you want to be the hunter or the hunted - or should I even ask?" Ellen's smile grew as she spoke. Either way she knew she'd have an advantage over him, but it never paid to discount Lex.

Although he really wanted to feel Ellen's hands on him, Lex decided that being the hunter gave him greater opportunity to perhaps cop a feel. "Hunter," he replied almost instantly with a toothy smile reminiscent of a shark.

Ellen laughed. "I'm shocked." Turning Lex around, she gave him a small push toward the corner of the pool. "Go over there and close your eyes, then yell 'Marco' when you're ready to start." Strange, instead of pushing Lex away, she still wanted to pull him in, to give him that hug... or more. Well, if Lex wouldn't, maybe she'd get up enough nerve to do it. She knew that by giving him her heart, it could cost her her life if he broke it. But that was a risk she was willing to take.

Ellen's hands seemed to leave burning impressions on Lex's shoulders, and he was glad to be facing away. He waded to the corner indicated and waited a moment to give Ellen time to move away from where he'd seen her, then yelled, "Marco," and turned around again, eyes tightly shut. He slowly moved back toward the center of the pool, listening intently, trying to hear or feel Ellen's nearness.

"Polo," Ellen called back. She'd positioned herself in the corner nearest to Lex, and, the second after Lex began moving in her direction, dove under the water, using her speed to dive faster to deeper water, careful not to use too much speed.

Lex could feel the ripples in the water and tried to judge their direction, moving slowly so he wouldn't miss a hint of Ellen's location. "Marco," he called again, hands outstretched toward where he thought Ellen might be.

Stroking toward Lex, Ellen pulled up just out of arm's reach, holding as still as possible. "Polo," she answered before diving to the bottom, coming up a distance behind Lex. She was grinning widely and contemplating her next move, one that could prove dangerous in more ways then one.

Lex whirled slightly toward the sound, but again Ellen was gone before he could tag her. Getting a feel for the girl's strategy, he spun around 180 degrees, and swam forward, trying to feel Ellen's location. He thought he felt a ripple in the water from one side and changed direction, heading that way. He probed downward with one foot and realized that he could stand at this depth. Motionless, he reached out, arms sweeping around him, seeking Ellen. "Marco."

When Lex stopped moving, Ellen did too, and when he turned in her direction, Ellen knew he was catching on. "Polo." There was no need to shout as they weren't that far apart, and Ellen stayed in place as Lex started moving toward him, only diving aside at the last second, reaching out to trail her fingers over Lex's bare-oh god, his skin was so warm!-stomach as she moved.

Stunned by Ellen's actions, Lex still managed to grab hold of her wrist, and his eyes popped open to probe the clear green and gold gaze. "Ellen?" He kept hold of Ellen's wrist, fingers moving slightly, caressing it.

Ellen swallowed, looking downward before meeting Lex's questioning gaze again. "You're supposed to say, 'Marco'," she said, honestly amazed at how her voice sounded to her own ears. It was deeper, darker, and it made her think about sex, and touching - touching Lex.

Lex's tongue appeared to moisten his lips though he never looked away from Ellen. "Marco," he whispered, standing motionless as though not to spook a wild animal.

Shivering, not from the coolness of the water, but because of the heat of Lex's gaze, Ellen leaned in, closing the distance between them. It was what she'd hoped for when she'd come up with this half-baked plan, the plan she'd conceived somewhere between listening to Lex come with her name on his lips and realizing that he was trying to be noble about his feelings.

Ellen might have been a virgin, and had a list of things she'll never do, with falling in love being second to the top, but right now she wasn't thinking of any of that, just of the fact that she wanted this. She needed this. This love with Lex and only him.

"Polo," she answered, her gaze flicking from Lex's lips to his eyes then back again before she as much fell into the kiss as initiated it. One minute they weren't touching, the next their lips, damp and cool from the pool water, were pressed together, and all Ellen could think was how good it felt.

Lex wondered wildly if the latest Smallville weirdness involved him hallucinating about Ellen, but no, that was most definitely a real tongue in his mouth and a real body that he was drawing closer to himself. And he finally dared to draw Ellen as close as he wanted him, so close they should have melded together.

When Lex responded, Ellen gave a frantic whimper, her hands scrabbling to reach around the bald man, to touch every part of him that she could. All the while their tongues were sliding together, filling Ellen's mouth with Lex's taste, something that reminded her of cherries and peppermint, and, inexplicably, morning dew but was so wonderful that she hated the thought of never tasting it again.

Slightly startled by Ellen's strength, Lex was still more than happy to press closer. He took control of the kiss, teaching Ellen what Lex liked and letting her find out for herself what he enjoyed. Their legs were intertwined, each one practically riding one of the other's thighs, and Lex groaned loudly as his cock rubbed against her.

Suddenly worried that she was holding Lex too tightly or that the man needed to breathe, Ellen pulled back, though she couldn't bring herself to let go of Lex entirely. "Lex? Are you..." Her own pulse was pounding in her ears, making it hard to try to concentrate. What she could feel was Lex's erection pressing against her, and it was mind-blowing. "Are you okay?"

"_'Okay'_? God, Ellen." Lex shook his head, smiling. "I'm amazing. You're amazing. But I'd rather not drown, so maybe we should get out of the pool if we're going to continue this." he suggested, hoping Ellen wouldn't come to her senses and flee.

"I wouldn't let anything happen to you." Ellen said in all seriousness, frowning as she flashed back to the moment they'd met and to rolling Lex's limp body off of the tracks.

"Not after going to so much trouble to save me last time," Lex agreed. "But it's a lot easier to move outside of the water." He continued to urge Ellen out of the pool, wanting the freedom to explore her thoroughly, and that just wasn't going to happen here.

Stunned by Lex's comment, Ellen suddenly found herself out of the pool with no idea of how she got there, but Lex's arms were still around her, and that was good - very good. It wasn't that she couldn't guess what was going to happen; it was just that the reality of it was more than she could comprehend, so she concentrated on what she could deal with, namely her mouth on Lex's, her hands stroking over his wet, pale skin, one moving over his back and the other stroking the bare nape of his neck and up the back of his head.

Her feet were moving again, and pressure at the back of her knees had Ellen losing her balance, falling onto a lounge chair with a soft thump. Of course the fact that she hadn't let go of Lex, causing him to fall too, didn't help matters at all, but the feel of Lex's weight on top of her drove all thoughts of impending furniture doom from Ellen's mind.

Momentarily startled to find himself so abruptly sprawled atop Ellen when he'd just been in the pool, Lex filed the anomaly away for later consideration and simply enjoyed. The damp length of Ellen's nearly naked body beneath him was his fantasies come to life, and he couldn't hold back a rumbling sound of satisfaction as he undulated slightly against her.

"God, you feel so good," he rasped an instant before his mouth fastened onto Ellen's, his tongue exploring the sensitive surfaces of her lips and the interior of her mouth, tasting her thoroughly.

Squirming, trying to arrange both of them so that she could feel more of Lex against her, Ellen made a noise of wordless agreement. Lex's tongue was in her mouth, and his smooth skin was under her hands, against her chest, covering and surrounding her, and all she could think of was that she wanted more.

Raising her head up, she opened her mouth wider, sucking on Lex's tongue as if trying to devour him, remembering how good it had felt when Lex had done that to her.

Shudders ran through Lex's body, and he pressed harder against Ellen, only to draw back with a growl at the soggy constriction of their suits. "We need to lose the bathing suits, Ellen." he said quietly, watching the woman for any signs of reluctance.

Small hands slid down Lex's back and were pulling at the stretchy nylon of his swimsuit before Ellen even realized what she was doing, but even then she didn't stop. Her cheeks heated in a blush, but she persisted, trying to get Lex out of the clinging material without tearing it, something that was proving difficult, especially when she felt Lex's hands on her.

"Umm, we may need to... I can't..." She mumbled, looking away. Lex was used to people skilled in this, and while he had ideas, Ellen definitely hadn't had any experience.

Lex curled his fingers around Ellen's jaw and turned her back to face him. "I want _you_, Ellen. We'll work out the details together." He kissed her.

"No, I meant I won't be able to get mine off either. I think we might need to get up for this." Ellen's blush deepened. Lex laughed then kissed her again, this time allowing her hunger free rein as he grew more secure in the knowledge that Ellen wasn't going anywhere. He pushed himself off her so he can get his wet fabric off, while Ellen stripped out of her one piece. Naked, they lay together; their bodies fit together perfect like a two piece puzzle, and went in to another devouring kiss as Ellen surrendered herself to love for the first time.


	3. Chapter III  Feed The Girl

Chapter 3 – Feed The Girl.

Time became a stranger when making love. Ellen never felt like this before, not just having sex but with the man that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. Despite the sensation of the whole thing they were careful not to cause any unwanted problems.

Lex gazed up at her panting. "For a virgin, you certainly know how to drive a man wild." He wrapped his arms around his nude lover, pulling her down to lie on top of him, luxuriating in her weight pressing him into the thick, waterproof memory foam cushions.

Ellen didn't even bother to try and deny the accusation. "Just because I haven't - hadn't _done_ anything doesn't mean I hadn't thought about it." She rested her cheek on Lex's shoulder.

"Just not..." She stopped speaking and blushed. "I like how you sounded, and how you tasted."

Lex's eyes closed again briefly as he shuddered with lust at the words. "Damnit, Ellen, are you trying to kill me?" He could feel the rush of blood to his groin, and if he hadn't just had the most explosive orgasm of his life, he was sure he would have been hard again. "For the record, I liked how you tasted too... even if I'm not quite sure what made up your mind?" He was curious; he'd been sure that Ellen had no idea of his attraction to her.

"No!" Ellen exclaimed before frowning in confusion, trying to come up with a plausible reason aside from the real one, the one she couldn't share. "I just... The way you looked at me before, back at the Kent's farm. It made me think, or think more anyway, about you, about... this."

She shrugged, and lifted her head to look up at Lex. "I made up my mind when I said I'd spend the night that if you didn't kiss me, I was going to find a way to kiss you so we both didn't go crazy."

Lex frowned. He didn't think he'd looked at Ellen any differently than he had a hundred times before; then again, who knew when someone might clue in to someone else's attraction? His expression cleared, and he smiled into the different colored eyes so close to his own. "I'm glad you did. I was afraid that if I said anything to you, I'd lose your friendship and you would quit your job. I would never have risked that."

"Can't someone be boyfriend and girlfriend and... be lovers at the same time?" Ellen felt her blush deepen at the last, and she cursed herself for acting like such a child.

"Of course they can," Lex hastened to reassure her. "But only if that's what they both want and I had no idea if you did." He shrugged as much as possible in his current position. "I'm glad you did. Do. You know what I mean." He shifted a little uncomfortably. "Want to go back to swimming, or shall we go inside and find something to eat?"

"I do." Ellen nodded and kissed Lex gently trying not to give in to her desire to curl up around him and not let go for years. She looked over at their bathing suits lying on the tiled floor in a wet, tangled mess, and grimaced at the thought of pulling the cold fabric onto her body. "Something to eat sounds good." She almost suggested getting cleaned up, but she smelled like Lex, and Lex smelled like her, and she wanted to keep things that way for as long as possible.

Having noticed Ellen's glance at their discarded suits, Lex suggested that they make use of two of the robes kept in the pool house instead. "I'd hate for either of us to catch a cold from putting wet things back on." When Ellen nodded and shifted off of him, he stretched and stood up, strolling over to the small pool house, unabashedly naked, and returned with two robes over his arm.

"Does this mean that you'll be sharing my bed tonight?"

Taking the ultra soft and fuzzy robe, Ellen pulled it on, feeling an odd mix of loss and relaxation when Lex belted his around his waist, covering his body. She wanted to ask if Lex wanted her to, but no, she wasn't going to be needy, begging for attention. Lex was Lex, and that meant complicated; she'd known him long enough to understand that. Ellen may not have understood everything about him, but she did know that Lex hated weakness, a trait passed down from his father.

Taking a breath, knowing this was something she'd set in motion with that first touch, that first kiss, Ellen looked up at Lex, her gaze steady. "Yes."

"I'm glad." Lex took the necessary step forward to kiss Ellen, and then smiled the open smile that was reserved for his friend and lover. "So now I definitely need to feed you so you won't pass out on me," he teased, motioning toward the French doors into the house.

"I think you'd have a hard time carrying me if I did." Ellen laughed as she spoke before moving up beside Lex and sliding an arm around his waist. Seeing that smile had made everything even more right, and she felt a curl of warmth within herself that had nothing to do with sex and everything to do with true affection.

"I was thinking more along the lines of in bed," Lex admitted with a laugh, putting an arm around her as well. "Unlike a certain amazon, I'm sure I couldn't manage to cart someone around." He smiled to show that he was only teasing as they padded through the house toward the kitchen, intent on quieting the pangs of appetite they'd worked up.

"Lots of exercise, and meditation" Ellen replied. "Don't forget getting up early and chores, lots of chores," she added at Lex's grimace before her stomach growled, demanding food after their exercise.

"I think I'll stick to laziness in that case." Lex shook his head. His idea of morning chores was drinking his coffee without burning himself. What on earth was he doing with this girl? Meeting Ellen's eyes, he knew that no matter what a mismatch they seemed on the surface, they were drawn together, and he wouldn't have it any other way.

"My cook has gone out for the afternoon, but she'll be back before dinner. In the meantime, we'll just have to scrounge for whatever we can find. Sandwiches okay with you?" Lex frankly didn't think he'd know how to make anything else.

Cook... Ellen fought the urge to cringe as he recalled the staff Lex had here at the castle, staff that _she _was apart of. What if one of them had walked out to the pool while they had... Deciding that avoiding that train of thought would be the safest thing for now, Ellen nodded. "Yeah, a sandwich sounds good. All that - uh - swimming makes you hungry."

"Swimming, huh? Is that what we're calling it now?" Lex smiled, a slightly sharp edge to it as he eyed Ellen. "Personally, I found that _you_ made me hungriest, and not for food." He knew he should make allowances for Ellen's age and lack of experience, but he'd always been himself with her, and he didn't want that to change because of this new dimension to their relationship.

Ellen felt her face heat and ducked her head but found the inner strength to respond in kind. "What? Saying you want seconds already? And they say teenagers are avid..."

Lex stopped and drew Ellen to a halt as well, then tilted her head up so that he could kiss her. "I'm not _that_ much older that you, you know," he pointed out huskily. "And for the record, I want seconds, thirds and fourths... we can negotiate after that." He nipped gently at Ellen's lower lip and stepped back to continue toward the kitchen.

"Is there a point?" Ellen asked, her tongue running out over his lip. "I've seen how you negotiate; I'm betting I should just give in gracefully now." She followed Lex into the kitchen, knowing where everything was since she works there and made a four coarse meal out of nothing for a board meeting Lex had on her first day of work. "Want some help with the food?"

Looking around almost helplessly, Lex shrugged and nodded. "I had a cook in my apartment when I was at college too. I'm afraid my skills are maybe up to slapping something between two slices of bread." He wandered over to the fridge and peered inside, apparently hoping a fully made meal would leap out at him.

Ellen moved closer, leaning over Lex's back to peer into the fridge and found herself unable to resist pressing a kiss on the back of Lex's head. "How about you let me whip something up."

With a sense of relief-and a shiver of pleasure at the touch of Ellen's lips-Lex backed away from the fridge and left their provisions in the woman's capable hands. Unable to tear his eyes away from said hands and the gorgeous body they were attached to, he nearly stumbled over a chair before he managed to sit down.

"Sounds good to me. At least that way we won't have to worry about me accidentally poisoning both of us. There are a lot more interesting things I'd like to do to you." He smiled quickly, eyes fixed on Ellen's ass.

While she doubted that her immortality would allow a poison to kill her, Ellen grinned and nodded, playing along. "What would you have done for food then if I hadn't come over?" she asked, glancing back over her shoulder, eyebrows raised questioningly, before looking at the shelves of food again and beginning to make her selections. one onion, garlic, and 3 mushrooms were removed and set on the counter, Ellen looked through the pantries for the dry ingredients she would need. "Oil... thyme... Salt & Pepper..." She frowned. "Where is the arrowroot?" She asked herself. Unable to find said root or its powdery form, she substituted it with all purpose flour.

Watching her gather ingredients he chided. "I wouldn't have had quite so much exercise, so I wouldn't have needed anything before dinner," Lex pointed out dryly. "However, I think the benefits more than outweigh the hunger."

Placing a deep pan coated in oil on a heating eye, diced the onion and garlic and sliced up the mushroom, then dropped them into the pan when it was hot enough which gave an appropriate sizzle. She sauteed the onions and garlic in the oil until the onions softened and the mushrooms and thyme were added to cook.

Lex watched in fascination as she worked with skilled hands, never missing a beat as she prepared their meal. He looked at her calm face as she added water to the mix and let it simmer uncovered. Out of curiosity he asked. "What are you making?"

Looking over at Lex, Ellen gave him a smile. "_**Yavivasa. **_I've made it a few times. It's basically a sauteed mushroom dish one eats in the Autumn season."

Lex looked at her curiously, he had never heard of 'vyavivasa' before. This exotic name peaked his interest in learning her homeland. "Ellen. Where are you from? Before you came to America?"

Ellen froze for a moment, unsure how to answer that. "I spent most of my life traveling... with my mother. I... was raised in Russia but her and I left, heading west. She passed away after we became citizens of this country." she lied, hoping that it was convincing and praying that Lex didn't ask anymore questions about where she was from.

"Can I ask you something, Lex?" She hoped to change the subject. When Lex nodded, Ellen giggled. "Have you ever eaten anything that didn't have a three-syllable name?"

"Yup. Ellen only has two syllables."

Ellen turned beet red and almost dropped the spatula on the floor. "My nickname does not count." she mumbled, pushing the ingredients around the skillet with the kitchen utensil.

Unable to resist how adorable Ellen looked when she blushed-and when did adorable become part of his vocabulary? Lex stood up and walked over to his lover, he pulled her away from the stove then pressed her back against the counter as he kissed her thoroughly. When he straightened away again after a final flick of his tongue over that tempting lower lip, he said, "I didn't need a third syllable to know that you're better than anything else I've ever had."

With one hand gripping the spatula and the other gripping the countertop tightly she knew her elven strength was not doing justice on that counter top or the cooking utensil. Not wanting to grab Lex because if she did, her food would burn and neither of them would be eating anything except Lex's non-three-syllable meal, Ellen shook her head. "I think the hunger is affecting your judgment."

"I agree, but I don't think we're talking about the same hunger." Lex reached the same conclusion Ellen had, so he forced himself to move away and sit back down. He turned an interested gaze on the young woman still standing motionless, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "Is the fact that you've left finger-length indentations in the marble of my countertop and bent a steel utental something I'm not supposed to notice?"


	4. Chapter IV Love The Girl

TEXT:

"Talking"

_Thinking_

_**"Elvish"**_

* * *

><p>Chapter 4 – Love The Girl.<p>

Ellen blinked and turned pale. She could feel the ridges under her fingers and looked at the mangled metal in her hand. "I guess chalking it up to meditation and exercise won't cut it?" she offered weakly.

"About as much as a snowball's chance in hell." Lex replied sweetly, a tone that in itself was a warning sign. "I'm not an idiot, Ellen... but I can't protect you if I don't what I'm protecting you against." For the first time he admitted to himself and to Ellen just why he'd done some of the things he'd done.

Food now forgotten, Ellen's knees gave way and she slid to the floor. "You can't protect me from myself, Lex," she sighed, tilting her head to half-look in Lex's direction. "I'm... You know how those meteor rocks are… out of this world? Well, I'm like that. Out of this world..." She turned the bent spatula over in her hands.

Lex rose from where he was sitting. "Out of... this world..." Lex trailed off into silence, pale blue eyes fixed on the miserable young girl on his floor, that brilliant mind trying to put the pieces he had together with what Ellen had just told him. "My god," he said slowly. "You're an alien?"

Ellen shook her head. "No. I... When I said 'out of this world' I wasn't talking about… Earth. I meant this dimension."

"Dimension? I don't understand." Lex was even more confused now than he had been. "What are you?"

Ellen took a shaky breath and kept looking at the floor not daring to meet Lex's gaze. "It's like a book. Here, this universe is one big story. And I came from another story." she felt like crying and - Oh god, was she shaking? "In my story there are humans and other different species, and I'm in one of the others. My kind is... that is... I... I'm a… I'm an elf." and with that she placed the ruined metal on the floor and lifted her hands then ran them over her face and ears to completely remove the glamor. As her hands passed over her appearance changed, she appeared older, less like a teenager. Every aspect of her features were enhanced in beauty, as her ears foretold her unearthly nature.

This was it. Now Lex would tell her to get out and go to try to scrub off even the memory of touching her. Suddenly feeling strangled in her throat, Ellen could only close her odd colored eyes and wait.

All Lex could do was stare at her, voices in his head telling him of how he should react to all this, one of the voices which unsurprisingly sounded like his father, telling him to get that creature out his house and forget he ever knew her. Then he remembered how much he loved her and what they had together and how he couldn't think of living without her.

Mind made up he decided to do something that a Luthor had never done before. He took a leap of faith with the elf-girl he fell in love with.

Lex almost laughed with relief, only managing to restrain himself because he knew Ellen would take it the wrong way. "It's good to know I haven't lost my mind," he said to himself almost cheerfully. He crouched down in front of her. "And it's equally good to know that you trusted me with this." he added, though wishing Clark had that kind of faith in him.

Ellen raised her her to look at Lex, the fact that she was still there was both amazing and terrifying. Lex knew. He _knew_ and she was still there. "Why? I have lied to you. You... touched me and didn't know that I was human."

"I touched you because I love you. And if my love wasn't real, you wouldn't be here now." Lex pointed out with undeniable logic. "Even if you did come from... another dimension. I wouldn't care," he added, a number of things suddenly making sense to him, "I'm just glad you choose me."

Slowly Ellen started to open up a little more, feeling an aura of trust and protection coming from Lex. "Lex, listen to me. I'm not human," she said quietly. "I'm hundreds of earth years older than you. I am immortal which means that I will out live you. I use magic to protect myself. And I... I've killed people. I've murdered people in war and out of war for money. I am not good for you but... but I... I couldn't stop myself from falling in love with you!" With a lurch, she leaned forward, catching Lex in her arms and pulling them together, her face buried in the warm skin of Lex's neck as she fought tears at finally saying things she'd only thought in her mind before.

Nearly toppling over as Ellen yanked him forward, Lex went with the motion, ending up kneeling on his kitchen floor with her in his arms. He thought carefully what she had told him over in his mind. "I... I love you. I've never been more certain about anything before you came. I don't care what happened in the past as long as you are willing to share your future with me." It sounded a bit like a marriage proposal but in this case it was best that she knew what he was thinking. If his father could hear him at that moment, Lex knew that Lionel would disinherit him on the spot. A smile went across his face. "Besides, I've always wondered what the elves from Lord of the Rings looked like."

Ellen gave a hiccup that was part laugh and lifted her head from Lex's shoulder. Her eyes were bright with tears so that they sparkled like jewels one amber gold and the other a cross between peridot and emerald. Her expression was calmer, even more open. "I... I love you, Lex."

Lex smiled. "I love you too, Eleniel." Her name which actually sounded more elvish then celtic as she once said, sounded right on his tongue as did his name on hers.

Ellen sighed into him. "I've been so alone, I've never realized how lonely I was until I first saw you."

"Me too," Lex admitted. "But the age thing could be a problem, Ellen. I'd really rather be with you to explore this thing happening between us, but Mr. Kent could send me to jail for a long time. Your record shows you to be underage. We're going to have to be careful." He thought a moment. "How did you pull that off anyway?"

Ellen looked away for a moment. "I... use a glamor to hide my inhuman features. I never got to experience a normal childhood so when I came here I used the glamor to make me passable as a high school student. The Kents took me in and I was able to cheat the system with a falsified profile of my existence." She sighed and leaned back against the cabinetry, unconsciously pulling Lex closer, turning him around and resting his head on her shoulder from behind. "I - I'm going to have to tell them. I want to be with you too, Lex, but I can not lie to them, and maybe, maybe they will accept this."

Lex groaned faintly. "Promise to visit me in prison?" He was not quite joking. "God, Mr. Kent already can't stand me; this is _not_ going to help." His arms covered Ellen's around his waist, and he pressed them against himself, needing to feel her.

Determination coursed through Ellen. She was going to find a way to keep the people she loved from being hurt, especially by each other, or she'd die trying. "He said he would protect me, and now you are apart of my life. He will see reason."

"I certainly hope you're right..." Lex muttered, but he left it at that. It would serve no purpose to upset Ellen by pressing the issue. Reluctantly pushing to his feet, he glanced down at the elf woman. "So what happened to my snack? And can you do something to fix that?" He nodded at the dents in the counter, hoping Ellen could smooth it down in some way so he didn't have to figure out how to explain it to the kitchen staff.

"_**Aiya, i'yasa!**_" She exclaimed jumping to her feet and adding more water just soon enough to save it from being burned. "_**Ed' i'ear ar' elenea!**_" She scolded herself. "It need a moment to rehydrate." she turned and eyed the dents with a frown. "I can repair it." Squatting down so that she was at eye level with the marble countertop she studied the rock before standing up again. Lightly tapping the marble three times with her index finger, she whispered a spell to the stone and as if that breathed life into the counter top, it responded and repaired itself like nothing happened. She repeated the spell with the spatula and placed it in the sink, because it had touched the floor.

That done she turned back to the food. "Could you get two bowls?" she asked, then wondered if Lex knew where anything was.

Wondering what she had just said a moment ago, he teared his baffled gaze away from the once again flat countertop, Lex glanced around vaguely and then shook his head sharply and focused on Ellen again. "I'll find them." He strode toward the cabinets like a man on a mission.

Deciding that it would be better not to have to wait a half an hour while Lex went through all his cupboards.

"Third one on your left," she called smirking as she set out the fixings on the countertop, reaching for the bread and beginning to slice the toppings with a sharp knife she'd got from near the sink.

Lex shot a sharp glance over his shoulder at the oblivious she-elf then took two plates out of the cabinet indicated. "Useful as well as decorative," he drawled as he placed them on the counter beside Ellen. "You can see through things?" He was still trying to get a handle on what all Ellen could do.

"No, I've been here before with Clark." She stirred the skillet's contents. "But I do have good eyesight that can see a great distances and my hearing is perfect." She paused, then grinned. "Both come in handy, like when I want to know if you're in a room alone."

That got a blink of surprise from Lex, then a slow smile. "Thanks. And I never have to worry about not being able to find a cufflink when you're around, do I." He sat back down in the chair, watching Ellen pour the soup into the porcelain bowls.

"Useful as well as decorative," Ellen mimicked while placed the bowls filled with the Yavivasa in front of Lex and where she was going to sit. "Want something to drink?"

"There should be some bottles of water in the fridge." Lex suddenly realized that he was thirsty. "Point me to the glasses." When Ellen had pointed to a cabinet, Lex retrieved two heavy crystal glasses, which passed for everyday ware in the Luthor household, and brought them back to the table. Looking from the sandwiches to Ellen, who sat patiently waiting, the manners drummed into her not allowing her to start until Lex was seated and ready to eat as well, Lex suddenly grinned. "I think this may just qualify as a first date."

"I thought those went: meal and conversation first before making out?" Ellen asked innocently, waiting until Lex had raised his glass to his lips to pose the question.

Nearly choking on his water, Lex gave Ellen a dirty look over the linen napkin as he dried his face. "We're hitting all the steps, just in a different order. That lets us revisit the more interesting ones before we're done." He gave Ellen the patented Luthor toothy grin that would not have looked out of place on a shark.

"Ahhh..." Ellen nodded sagely though her eyes were dancing with merriment as she took a bite of her food. Wishing she could have found the arrowroot instead of having to use flour she shrugged. It wasn't her best dish.

"As if I would have anything that was." Lex looked down his nose though the laughter sparkling in his blue eyes gave him away. "Eat up," he said mock sternly; cutting off the comment he could see Ellen about to make. "You'll need your energy." His eyes watered with delight and the deliciousness of the soup dish. "This is amazing, Ellen."

The elf smiled. "Thank you, though I wish I could have found the arrowroot but it did turn out good."

If anyone had told him that morning that he and an elven woman, the most beautiful woman he ever met, would be lovers before the day was done, he'd have decided that yet another Smallville inhabitant had had an overly close encounter with the meteor rocks, but here they were. He smiled, hiding the almost fatuous expression behind a bite of Yaviyasa.

Ellen shuddered at the thought of why she'd need her energy later. "If that's the case, I'd better make you more to eat. I've got lots of energy." Energy that was now prodding her to stare at Lex's finely formed mouth as he took another drink of water, at the long lines of his throat as he swallowed, at the shadows cast on his skin by the robe and... Whoa, down girl.

Lex's mouth went dry at the hungry look being trained on him, and he suddenly knew how a mouse must feel when it's staring into the cat's eyes... only he expected to enjoy his fate a lot more than the mouse ever could. "This is all I need," he managed to say, eyes locked onto Ellen's. "I don't want to overeat so I end up sleepy and lethargic." He licked his lips.

"No, that would be bad." Even though she'd eaten only a little more than half of her soup, Ellen had lost all interest in food unless seeing Lex spread out like a banquet in front of her qualified. She'd thought she'd never fall in love before, never lust over anyone, but nothing prepared her for the desire she had to crawl across the countertop separating them and simply devour Lex's mouth, licking every bit of the taste of his meal from him until all Ellen could taste was pure, unadulterated Lex.

Lex put down the spoon into the bowl that suddenly held all the appeal of sawdust, no insult to her cooking. "Spell it out for me, Ellen. I'm not sure what, how much you're ready for and want from me. More of the same, or... more?"

"I don't know." Conscious of the state of Lex's furniture, Ellen avoided touching anything around her by grabbing one hand with the other and squeezing so tightly that the veins stood out on her forearms in stark relief. "I want to touch you, to taste you. It's all I can think about, Lex! I just don't know."

"Then we'll work it out together. Just remember, if you don't like something or aren't ready for it, _tell_ me. I already have far more than I ever dreamed I could." Lex moved around to Ellen's side and kissed her. "I think it's time to go upstairs, don't you?"

Breathless, Ellen nodded, before turning a guilty look to the leftover food and dirty dishes on the counter. "Shouldn't we clean up first?"

Lex simply shook his head, watching Ellen. "Someone will take care of it. I'd rather take care of you." He moved a little closer, crowding Ellen, though neither of them ever really respected the other's personal space; they hadn't since they'd first met. "Come up to my bedroom, Ellen." Lex's very tone was an invitation.

The flicker of guilt vanished in the growing glow of warmth inside her, and Ellen stood, wrapping her arms around Lex, holding him close, and nuzzling his neck to fill her nostrils with her lover's scent again. "And your bed?" she asked, her voice going low and silky again.

"Oh, definitely my bed. And the shower, and probably a chair or two, and maybe a desk. The walls have possibilities too." Lex punctuated his words with kisses, quick ones and longer, sucking ones, licking kisses and kisses that ended with nips. "Interested?" He rubbed against Ellen, letting her feel his renewed arousal.

Ellen gave a laugh that sounded pained and rocked her hips forward to grind her body against Lex's, the layers of cloth between them a frustrating impediment. Lex's mouth was on hers, in hers, and while it was heaven, she wanted so much more.

"In anything with you," she whispered, rubbing her face against Lex's before nibbling on his earlobe, sucking the bit of soft flesh into her mouth.

"Then we definitely need to get upstairs, or the kitchen staff is likely to find us in a very embarrassing position when they get back." Lex slowly backed toward the door, drawing Ellen with him, not willing to lose a single inch of contact between their bodies.

The thought of how embarrassing _that_ would be goaded Ellen into action, and she shifted her hold on Lex, wrapping an arm around her lover's waist and used her practiced magic to apparate to Lex's bedroom, tumbling them both to the massive bed while the echoes from her blowing the door closed were still ringing in their ears.

Eyes wide, Lex stared down at Ellen, trying to take in the fact that in the time it had taken him to blink, Ellen had moved them from vertical in the kitchen downstairs to horizontal in his bed, with the door shut and locked behind them. "Fast too," he said inanely before abandoning words in favor of touching.

The expensive robes were consigned to crumpled heaps on the floor without a second thought, and Lex rumbled his pleasure as his hands ran over the silky, hot flesh that was Ellen.

"Um hmm." Ellen didn't even know what she was agreeing to; all she knew was that she had Lex in her arms, and even better, naked, aroused Lex in her arms. Twisting up into the feel of the man's hands on her back, then down into the angular press of Lex's body, Ellen moaned, wanting to follow where Lex led, but also just wanting to explore.

Remembering his own feelings the first time he'd done this, at a much younger age than Ellen, Lex understood some of what Ellen was thinking. He sprawled back amidst the pillows, watching his lover out of heavy-lidded eyes. "Touch me, Ellen. I want to feel your hands on me."

Stunned and aroused by the fact that she'd pretty much just been given permission to do whatever she wanted, Ellen pushed up onto her knees as she licked her suddenly dry lips. Wanting to take her time, because as amazing as what they had done by the pool had been, she really didn't remember any of it, Ellen reached out, running a hand down the center of Lex's chest, feeling muscles jump and twitch beneath his fair, hairless skin.

"You look..." Like sex was the only description that Ellen could come up with, and that just wasn't something she could say out loud. Lex was relaxed against his pillows, his gaze electric, but also seeming as at ease as if she were fully clothed and out for a stroll. Shifting again, Ellen added her other hand, running them both over Lex's body from shoulders to hips, then back again, her eyes never leaving the silvery-blue ones staring up at her.

A full body shiver ran through Lex as Ellen petted him, and he realized that somewhere along the line his noble intentions of not taking this too far had fallen by the wayside. So long as Ellen was willing and unafraid, which seemed pretty obvious, at least she was going to get fucked before they left this bed.

"You look like one of the angels that praised the Lord on the holy night, beautiful and tempting," Lex murmured, one hand rising to run a teasing thumb over the full lower lip that figured so highly in his fantasies.

"Sorry, I can't fly." Ellen grinned before catching Lex's thumb between her lips and licking it, drawing more and more of it into her mouth while she rolled Lex's nipples between her fingers.

This was a virgin? How had Lionel Luthor's son ever gotten so lucky? His back arching off the bed, Lex had to try a couple of times before he could force words out of his throat. "J-just as well. I might never be able to catch you then." Involuntarily, his legs spread, knees coming up to press against Ellen's waist, his gaze fixed on his thumb being so inexpertly but arousingly fellated.

Letting Lex's thumb fall from his mouth, Ellen couldn't help arching her hips forward to rub against the man's groin. "You'd find a way," she rasped, leaning in to kiss Lex again, unable to survive without feeling those thin, elegant lips under her again.

Lex moaned into the mouth covering his, more aroused by kissing Ellen than he'd been by the other women he'd had sex with in the past. When Ellen finally raised her head, a hint of smug satisfaction in the bright jade and topaz eyes for the response she engendered in Lex, he simply said, "Yes." Yes, he wanted Ellen; yes, they belonged together; yes, Ellen could do whatever she wanted to him; and yes, Lex would find a way to have her no matter what, species or powers of bending elements.

A truly girlish smile lit Ellen's face, and she kissed Lex again, this time tenderly, lovingly. "I love you." It was so easy to say the words, so right, and Ellen knew they were true, no matter what anyone said or did, even her friends, even Lex. Dropping down again, she nuzzled Lex's neck, almost at a loss as to what to do next. She wanted, oh how she wanted, but she didn't want to hurt her lover, and she was terrified she'd do just that.

"Me too." It was the closest Lex could come to telling Ellen what he felt, at least just then, but the expression in his eyes as he looked down at the ebony haired she-elf burrowed against him said so much more. He ran a not quite shaky hand down Ellen's back, coming to a stop with his hand on the young girl's butt, a finger just lying in the hollow at the base of her spine. "You're going to have to tell me what you want, Ellen. I don't want to push you into anything you're not ready for."

"You - everything - I don't know!" Ellen babbled, unsure of how she was even stringing words together at this point. "Show me, Lex; I don't want to do anything wrong, so you need to show me. I just want you... in me." The last was said with desperation as Ellen lifted her head, her eyes frantic with desire and nerves.

Lex couldn't hide the soul-deep shudder of arousal that ripped through him at those words. "Then that's what you'll get. Whatever you want, Ellen," he vowed recklessly, lowering his head to nibble at a nipple. He reached over to the nightstand, managing to open the drawer and remove the squeeze bottle of lubricant without ever losing contact with Ellen.

"You." Ellen whimpered the word, her whole body tensing when Lex bit her. Collapsing to the side, she pulled Lex with her so that she was staring up into the face that hid so much from the world but showed her everything. "You're all I want."

"Oh, Ellen..." He was so wrong for this elf woman, this _good_ woman, and Lex knew it. And he knew that he should walk away, call his father and do whatever it took to get himself redeemed from exile to Smallville, and leave Ellen unsullied by too close association with him. But he was too much a Luthor-and too much in love for the first time in his life-to give Ellen up. "You have me."

He squirted some of the thick gel into the palm of one hand, rubbing it between his hands until it had warmed to body temperature, then slowly reached down. He trailed a single finger over Ellen's labia and the hypersensitive area inside them, then brought it to rest against the small knob of tissue, watching Ellen's eyes for her reaction.

Taking a deep breath, Ellen deliberately made herself relax though her heart felt as if it was about to pound out of her chest. Her gaze held only trust and love mixed with a good bit of arousal, and she managed a smile, hoping to reassure Lex.

Oh god, did she have any idea how irresistible she looked? Lex carefully pushed a single finger into Ellen to the first knuckle before pausing to give her a chance to get accustomed to the sensation of something inside her. He groaned harshly when Ellen tightened around him, almost painfully. Slowly he pushed the finger deeper, then began to work it in and out, waiting until Ellen rose to meet each in-thrust to add a second finger.

It didn't hurt, not in the least, though there was a faint tingle, like when she over-exerted even her elven limits. Ellen moaned, her hips twisting up to meet Lex's hand, her back bowing off the sheets. "Please, Lex, more," she begged. "Can't hurt me."

Blinking in surprise, Lex wondered what could hurt her, fucking her certainly wouldn't. If anything, the preparation was going to be more for Lex himself. Instantly the fingers were gone, and Lex smiled as Ellen made a beautiful pleading sound and tried to follow them.

"You're going to like this _so_ much better..." He leaned over to drag his tongue over a rigid nipple, and at the same time, he pushed inside Ellen, driving to the root in a single, long stroke.

The increased pressure drew a gasp from Ellen, but it was Lex in her, Lex filling her and covering her, and it was better than anything. She spread her legs wider, wanting to give him more room and ran careful hands over Lex's scalp and shoulders, her arms shaking with restrained strength and desire.

The incredibly tight heat wrenched a groan of joy from Lex, and he opened his eyes, thin rings of color around widely dilated pupils, to stare down at Ellen. "Mine," he rasped, pulling back almost out of Ellen only to drive into her again, the pleasure indescribable.

"Yes, love you. Love you, Lex," Ellen chanted, trying to match her movements to Lex's, but then an inward thrust hit the shield inside of her that threatened to blow the top of her head off, and all she could do was lie there on the sheets, shuddering.

"Nice to know you have a human parts," Lex managed to chuckle, avidly watching every reaction. "Nice, huh?" He thrust again, hitting the shield dead on, and making Ellen cry out. God. This was going to kill her, but what a way to go. Before Ellen lost all control she used magic to create a force field over her hymen to prevent any unwanted pregnancy.

"Nice?" Saying what she was feeling was _nice_ was like saying the Luthors had a little bit of money. This was so far beyond nice it was in another world. "Does... feel good for you?" she gasped, arching up off the bed again, her body tightening down around Lex's cock as she shuddered.

"God, yes!" Lex shook as he fought to hold on a little longer, something that was nearly impossible as Ellen's body rippled around him, driving him higher and higher. "Want you... so much," he panted.

Finally freed to take his own pleasure, Lex pounded into Ellen a few more times as the elf's body shook around him, and he howled as he came, body jerking in ecstasy.

When he came back to himself, he was sprawled atop Ellen, still inside her, though just barely, and he'd never felt better in his life. "When I'm resurrected, we need a good soak in the Jacuzzi."

Ellen was sweaty, shaky, and sleepy, and she didn't care if they never moved again, as long as it allowed her to hold onto Lex like this forever. "Hot water?" she asked, making a face before snuggling back into the pillows, holding Lex close.

"Cold shower?" Lex suggested with a smile in response to Ellen's expression. "Later." No more than Ellen did he want to move. He was still having a bit of trouble believing all this was real, so curling up and falling asleep in Ellen's arms was going a long way toward convincing him. He shifted just enough to come out of his lover, closed his eyes, took a deep breath of the air redolent of them and sex, and simply lay there contentedly.

Ellen closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of a warm, sleepy Lex draped over her. She ran a hand over his back for a time, then opened her eyes, a question nagging at her.

"Lex?" The murmured answer proved that he was at least somewhat awake, so Ellen continued. "How long have you been thinking about... this?"

* * *

><p>Translation:<p>

Ed' i'ear ar' elenea = "By the sea and stars" (curse/exclamation)

Aiya, i'yasa! = "Oh, the food!" (seriously that's what it says)

Yakiyasa = "Autumn food" (Made it up. Recipe from LOTR Cuisine 'Merry's Mushrooms')


	5. Chapter V Tell The Girl

Chapter 5 – Tell The Girl.

Suddenly wide awake, Lex thought frantically, trying to decide how Ellen would react to the truth. Of course, Ellen could feel his reactions, as close as they were at that moment, so lying wasn't going to help him. "From the moment I saw you in Metropolis park beneath the old clock by the fountain. You were wearing purple that day." he admitted. "This isn't to say that all I like about you is your body, but your spirit and character is what that made me want to befriend you, Ellen."

"Oh." Ellen remembered that day, it was when she first came to this era, this world. She had gotten lost in the city and sought shelter in the only part of Metropolis that had enough nature to make her comfortable. She smiled and could feel the thread of tension running through Lex, so she continued stroking his back.

"We elves may have immortality running through our vain, but if we get killed in battle or our heart is broken, then we die. Before I ever came to this world, I vowed never to fallen in love, it was a way of protecting myself." She snuggled closer. "But then I met you.

"I thought you were the most beautiful living thing there was in all the worlds I have seen. Then after what happened with you at the train station and the hospital, I thought I would never see you again. So I left and came here, only to find you again. I felt that if only I could be your friend then that would be enough. But this afternoon..." She swallowed, suddenly feeling like a peeping tom. "I heard you, when you went back in your room, when you called my name. It made me want... more."

"You... heard... me." Lex wasn't quite sure how he felt about that. No privacy, no way to hide... but this was Ellen. It was okay. And it would probably make him a better person, knowing that Ellen would know what he did. "I'm glad... if you are?" He still didn't know if this was something that Ellen would have come to on her own.

"Elven hearing remember? We can hear things that are miles away; but sometimes I can't control it." Ellen's expression crumbled and she felt sick because now Lex thought she was spying on him. She shifted a bit and worried her lower lip between her teeth. "And I'm glad too. I wouldn't have done that, in the pool, if I didn't want to. You make me feel so much, Lex. It's like it almost hurts inside, there's so much in me."

"Ellen, it's okay." And it really was. "I'm certainly not going to complain about something that brought us together before I'd gone mad with the frustration." He settled a bit more comfortably on top of Ellen. "I have no idea what we're going to do about it though, about the Kents. God, Jonathan is going to kill me." Much to his surprise, the thought that the Kents would be disappointed in him bothered Lex.

"No, he isn't." Ellen's voice was dead firm and full of resolve. "Nothing's going to happen to you, ever. I'll figure something out. In a few years this world will recognize me as an adult, so they can't say anything about it being illegal because of my assumed age. And honestly, how do they know what's normal for me? I come from a world where laws aren't so strict."

"And unfortunately, we're here and you're recognized as a minor." Lex sighed. "Hopefully the Kents will be a little more open-minded than the laws though, or I'm going to be in a world of trouble." He looked down into the clear different colored gaze. "I don't want to lose you, Ellen."

Ellen's jaw set in a stubborn line. "I'd knock down the jail if they put you in there, then everyone would know what I am. They don't want that." She sighed. "They're just trying to protect me. They'll listen to me..."

Lex groaned. Whatever had happened to his nice, uncomplicated life? Oh yeah, he fell in lust then love with a teenaged girl who happened to be a ebony-haired elf. "I'm warning you right now, I plan to hide behind you when we tell the Kents."

Ellen grinned at that. "I'll protect you, I promise. But... what about your dad? What's he going to think?" Obviously Lex had experience with women, and from what she knew of Lionel Luthor, the man was very aware of everything his son and heir did. "He'll find out too, won't he?"

"Eventually, yes. But we'll put that off as long as possible. I won't lie to you, Ellen; he's not going to be happy about this. He's never liked it that I take multiple women to bed with me, and you, well; Lionel Luthor is not the most egalitarian man around.

"But you're the one I want. I love you, Ellen." He finally said the words, calmly and very definitely.

Hearing those words made everything all right and Ellen shivered before relaxing again, her arms locked tightly around Lex's lower back. "I'll protect you," she whispered, kissing the corner of Lex's mouth. "From everyone."

"And no one will protect me from you. Thank God." Lex turned his head so that their mouths met fully, kissing Ellen with everything he felt. "And there's still so much we have ahead of us."

Oh my gosh, she loved him so much. He was going through so much –just to be with her, forever, and it was more then she could take. Tears rolled down over Ellen's cheeks, and she caught Lex's hand, bringing it to her lips and kissing it.

Lex realized that he'd been waiting for her forever. He felt Ellen's lips on his hand and the dampness of her tears, and he raised a shaky hand to brush them away. "I'm not worth it, Ellen," But_ I'll try to be,_ he thought but couldn't say.

Ellen froze before shaking her head wildly. "Yes, you are, you're everything. Everything. I love you, Lex Luthor." She kissed Lex then, her tongue sweeping into his mouth, tasting him, craving him, loving him.

"Yeah." Lex smiled shakily as he pulled out of her. How could he tell her, who was from another world and in the throes of her first crush, that he was in love with her, the forever kind of love? Lex couldn't imagine ever wanting anyone else again, but he couldn't say that. Instead he lowered his head enough to brush his lips over Ellen's and urged her to lie down at his side.

The room was dark around them, and Ellen could hear the splash of raindrops against the windows near the bed. Rolling to the side, she curled up alongside Lex, her arm and leg lying across Lex's body. "I love you," she murmured, pressing a kiss against the perfectly formed ear near his face. "I've never felt like this before, this ... good."

Lex's eyes closed briefly, then opened again so that he could meet Ellen's gaze. Their bodies were nestled together amidst the tangled sheets, and it all felt so right. "Please don't ever let me hurt you," he murmured so softly that nothing human could have heard him. But Ellen wasn't quite human.

"Lex?" Ellen frowned in confusion.

Lex shook off the dark mood that had fallen on him and kissed Ellen lightly. "No matter, I think just having you here and having to be able to meet that oh-so-honest gaze of yours will change a lot of things. No one who's Ellen Romanov's friend could ever follow in Lionel Luthor's footsteps." _And while that's going to make things very difficult for me for a while, I think I'm glad._ Lex relaxed fully, curling a little closer to Ellen. "I think you've saved me more often than you know, Ellen."

Turning Lex onto his side so that she could curl totally around him, Ellen pressed a gentle kiss to the back of his head. "That's me, useful and decorative."

Laughing, Lex leaned back against Ellen. "Glad to hear it since I'm going to need both when we face the Kents tomorrow. I'm definitely going to be hiding behind you and maybe Clark, so I'll be able to admire the decorative aspects, while enjoying the useful part of you blocking whatever Mr. Kent tries to shoot me with." He sighed, only half-joking. "But you know what? You're worth it."

Ellen sighed and shook her head, refusing to think about tomorrow until tomorrow. "You know what?" she asked, kissing Lex again. "You are too."

Remembering the reactions of some past lovers when they'd seen his hairless body, Lex snorted softly. Had he not been who he was, those men and women would have fled, but instead they swallowed their distaste for the chance to share the Luthor heir's bed... and Lex let them, taking out his anger on them, and then never saw them again. "You may be the only person in the world who thinks so, but thank you."

Troubled by Lex's comment, Ellen tightened her arms around the man's body. "Hardly." Maybe the attitude was because of his father; she knew Lionel Luthor wasn't exactly a loving parent, or maybe it was because everyone always wanted something from Lex, but Ellen was going to do what she could to prove that she loved Lex for himself and that she'd keep on loving him.

"It doesn't really matter now, does it?" Lex pointed out reasonably. "You're the one sharing my bed, and as long as you don't mind my freakishness, no one else matters." And much to his surprise, he found himself meaning that. Yet another thing to thank Ellen for.

"Freakishness?" Suddenly needing to see Lex's expression, Ellen reached over and flipped on the bedside light before propping herself over and around her lover. "What are you talking about? Lex, you - you're everything. Smart, handsome, fair, and sexy." She smiled at the last. "All I ever wanted in a guy."

"You never wanted a guy. You told me that falling in love was something you'd never do." Lex pointed out, but he was smiling. "And I think you're nuts, but I'm grateful for it. You, now..." Lex ran an admiring gaze over the woman lying beside him.

"Well, I changed my mind." Ellen fought temptation for a moment, then stuck her tongue out at Lex. "And I'm not nuts; I'm just me."

"I think those are the same thing," Lex laughed before kissing her quickly. "But that's okay, that's part of your charm.

"Can you see if the staff is back yet? I don't think I'm up to another kitchen raid, and we're going to need an actual meal sometime soon."

"Sure." Ellen closed her eyes and listened through the walls of the castle, all the way to the kitchen area, hearing movement and clatter between the counters and the oven, before opening her eyes. "Well someone's down there; it seems they're cooking-or starting to anyway. If we're going to eat, shouldn't we, ummm, clean up or something?"

"I think a shower is definitely in order... and we might even manage _only_ to clean up." Lex reluctantly sat up away from Ellen, although he did give in to the temptation to run a possessive hand down her chest. "Coming?"

Feeling like she should be purring, Ellen sat up as well, though her smile turned into a grimace at the feel of semen drying on the lower half of her body. "A shower sounds good, and something to eat." Lex flashed her a leer, and Ellen gave up trying to fight her blush. "Food, Lex!"

Laughing, Lex stood up and walked across the room toward the master bath, comfortable in his nudity. "Yes, definitely some food. You're going to need your... strength," he tossed over his shoulder.

Deciding Lex looked a little too smug just then, Ellen blurred into motion so that she could greet Lex from the shower when he finally got there. "Yeah, I can see that protecting you is going to keep me busy," she teased, figuring out the faucets and turning the shower on before moving back to give Lex room to come in.

Pausing midstep, Lex looked momentarily startled, then carried on with his customary aplomb. "Protecting me?" he repeated musingly. "Not quite what I had in mind, but if that's all you're up to..." He reached for the spa sponge and expensive body wash made just for him, mentally counting the seconds as he waited for Ellen's response.

Okay, so she couldn't beat Lex in a game of words, but Ellen had other, albeit more childish, ways of responding. "Are you saying you're up for more?" she asked, before moving to super-speed again, turning the water on full cold before darting out of the glass enclosure.

"I don't know, Lex. You look a little blue, and shriveled to me," she giggled.

Suddenly doused in icy water, Lex let out a yowl before scrambling for the taps and switching the shower back to a more comfortable temperature. That done and his shivering stopped, he shot a dirty look at the giggling she-elf. "Just remember that later on," he threatened.

"Ooo, I'm so scared!" Ellen laughed, stepping back into the shower and ducking her head under the spray then brushing her hair out of her face, much as she'd done earlier that afternoon by the barn.

Lex sighed. "It's going to be very hard to be properly intimidating to someone who's an elf and who knows she can twist me around her little finger." He started washing Ellen for the sheer pleasure of touching her. "I'll just have to try harder to find ways."

Ellen sighed happily and slumped back against the cool tiles, loving the feel of Lex's hands on her and the spray of the water on her skin. "Like I'd ever do anything bad to you," she mumbled, turning obediently when Lex nudged her so that he could get her back.

Lex had to smile at that. The one person in Smallville who actually stood a chance of stopping him from doing anything was the same one who believed the best of him. And because she was, Lex found himself trying to live up to that belief. "Thank you," he said suddenly.

Turning her head to look back at Lex, Ellen frowned. "For what? I haven't even had a chance to wash _you_ yet."

"For being you and for believing in me even when you shouldn't. I like myself better since I met you, Ellen."

Ellen turned fully around and wrapped her arms around Lex, bringing him in closer so that she could hug him. "What's not to like?" Even as she asked the question, Ellen knew that Lex had areas of himself and his life that he kept secret. But maybe, just maybe, their being together would help break down the walls or make them unnecessary. "Now give me the soap."

Eyebrows rising, Lex handed it over with a mock salute. "Let her top once and suddenly she thinks she's in charge," he teased lightly. "Should I start calling you ma'am now?"

"Hmmm… I could get used to it..." Ellen snickered at the thought and poured some of the spicy smelling liquid into her palm. Taking a careful sniff, she cocked her head to the side and regarded Lex. "Now I know why you smell the way you do. I thought it was cologne, but it's the soap."

Lex shrugged. "It was made up specially for me years ago. It's all I use. Wouldn't want to get dry skin on my scalp," he added self-mockingly. He liked the idea that Ellen was going to smell like him; it made him feel that much more like she was his and marked as such.

Working the silky liquid to foam between her hands, Ellen reached up and rubbed her fingertips over Lex's head, taking care to keep the lather out of his eyes. "Mmm, that's why I like the feel of the skin so much there, then," she murmured, trailing her fingers down the curved dome of Lex's skull and darting her thumbs behind the curve of his ears.

Lex eyed her rather oddly. "You know, Ellen, I can honestly say that you're the first person I've known who has a kink about my head." He shook his head slightly, laughing. "You are a very odd girl."

Ellen shrugged. "Do you mind?" she asked, now working the soap into the back of Lex's neck and down over his shoulders. Okay, so maybe she was a little obsessed, but the only thing that would make her stop was if it made Lex uncomfortable.

"Not at all. I don't I could ever mind anything you did," he admitted frankly, nearly purring as Ellen worked the knots out of his muscles. "God, you're good at that." He suddenly wished Ellen was older so that she didn't have to take her home the next day to the Kents but could move her into his home and always have her close. But not too many high school junior had live-in lovers. He sighed.

"You're thinking too much," Ellen murmured, turning Lex around so that she could work on the rest of his back, waiting until the water rinsed the lather from his head to kiss the damp skin there. "Don't."

"Yes, ma'am," Lex replied, promising himself just to enjoy this day with Ellen being all his. He could worry about the future tomorrow, if he had one after they faced Ellen's guardians. "We should probably think about getting out of here; my fingers are starting to prune." But he made not the slightest move to step away from Ellen.

"In a minute, I'm not done yet." Wrapping an arm around Lex's waist, Ellen used her other hand to soap her lover's chest, her hand dipping lower and lower with each sweep before finally skittering away from Lex's groin as she finally released Lex. "There, all clean now."

Lex groaned. "And more interested in you again than food!" He made himself step away from the slender body behind him and turn the water off, then reached for one of the fluffy towels. "We'd better get dressed quickly, or we may never get dinner tonight."

Unable to resist pouting, Ellen dried herself off, stealing peeks at Lex doing the same thing the whole while. "Or dinner might just turn out to be breakfast," she commented, before straightening and walking into the bedroom. "Um, Lex. I don't have any clothes in here."

Looking almost sheepish, Lex pointed at a door on the far side of the room. "That's a connecting door to the room I gave you earlier." He turned to his closet, busying himself with finding an outfit so he wouldn't have to meet the oddly knowing different colored gaze.

Ellen arched her eyebrows, her expression very suggestive of Lex's when she didn't quite believe something. "Connecting rooms? And here I thought you were trying to be noble," she murmured before darting through the door and pulling on her clothes, her skirt and top feeling odd after several hours of wearing nothing more than a robe. Then redid the glamor on her appearance.

"I _was_. That's why I didn't tell you about it," Lex muttered as he pulled on a fresh pair of silk boxers and stepped into a pair of black pants and a long-sleeved T-shirt, also black, of course. "Ready to go downstairs?" he called, raising his voice, momentarily forgetting Ellen's hearing. A mystified look appeared on Lex's face as Ellen back from her room in her human form.

"After this." Ellen was smiling as she walked closer and gave Lex a long, thorough kiss. "Thank you."

Eagerly returning the kiss, Lex was panting by the time Ellen let him breathe again. "You're welcome... but for what?" His arms around Ellen's waist, he was perfectly content to stand there forever.

Ellen frowned, thinking it should be obvious. "For being noble."

Lex's eyebrows shot up, and he couldn't have looked more perplexed if one of the various mutants populating Chloe's Wall of Weird walked in. "You clearly need nourishment. Come on." He caught one of Ellen's hands in his as he tugged her toward the door, and as they walked downstairs, for the first time in his life, Lex Luthor held hands with a lover.

Twining her fingers with Lex's, Ellen kept her attention on her lover as they walked back down the stairs, this time turning toward the dining room. "Why won't you believe it?" she asked, offering a silent prayer that they didn't eat in the huge formal room because she just knew she'd break something this time.

"Because I'm Lex Luthor," Lex said, as if that explained it all, and to him it did. But maybe, just maybe, with Ellen he really could be something better... and actually want to be. He led Ellen into the dining room where his staff, seemingly psychic as all good servants are, had set the head of the table with two places, intimately close together.

Deciding that pushing the topic more might lead to a fight, Ellen settled for the lesser evil of contemplating the rows of silverware next to the china plates. "Lex," she muttered, "why on earth do we need five forks for dinner?"

"So that when I break one trying to stab you with it, there will be still be enough to get through the meal," Lex replied blithely, feeling high on life.

"Ellen, it's just you and me here. Use whatever damn fork you want to or none at all. I'm not going to care."

"Well, I will," Ellen sulked, before lightening up and giving Lex a look. "And if you try to stab me with your fork you're going to worry about a lot more than a broken utensil." Then she gave him a gentle poke in the side with her free hand to show that she was joking. "And it's not what I want you stabbing me with."

"First food then play... I don't want either of us passing out and missing the good part because we're undernourished." Lex pressed a kiss to the hand he held, then released it to slide into his seat. Realizing how thirsty he was, he drained the glass of water at his place in long swallows, then pressed the discreet buzzer built into the head of the table to request more.

Ellen sighed, pretending to be annoyed when in all reality, she _was_ hungry. Taking a drink from her own glass, she almost jumped out of her skin when the maid appeared by her elbow to refill it. "How do they do that? I swear it gives me the creeps." she hissed, once Lex's glass was full and the woman was gone.

Laughing at her expression, Lex took the mystery out of it by explaining about the buzzer. "Instant gratification, Ellen, It works well." He picked up one of the lush strawberries from the dish in the center of the table and offered it to Ellen.

"Sneak," Ellen muttered before taking the strawberry and biting into it, belatedly thinking that it might have been more adult to have simply eaten it from Lex's fingers.

Lex watched the sharp white teeth bite into the juicy berry, and he felt his cock jump as he imagined those teeth on him, marking him. He moaned faintly and grabbed his water again. It apparently was going to take a miracle for them not to end up on top of the table before the meal was over.

Seeing Lex squirm slightly had Ellen squirming in her chair. "Maybe this would be safer if we were at opposite ends of the table."

"Probably, but it wouldn't be nearly as much fun. I'm not going to get to have you all to myself very often, so I'm not giving up one moment of this." He reached over and took one of Ellen's hands into his own for a moment before letting go again.

"Okay..." Ellen said warily, feeling the lingering warmth where Lex's hand had touched hers and trying to cool it by taking a drink. "But if you want to eat, you have to stop looking at me like, like..." The maid returned, this time carrying what Ellen thought was a soup tureen. "... like sex!" she hissed, leaning closer to Lex so that the maid wouldn't hear.

Lex glanced from Ellen to the maid, and his expression instantly smoothed to the utter blankness he gave to most of the world. He gave Ellen a polite, meaningless smile as he picked up his spoon, skimmed it through the gazpacho, and brought it to his lips.

So, well, that rather answered some questions Lex hadn't known how to ask. Ellen was embarrassed by this. Not surprising, he supposed, and he should be glad for the sake of his own freedom that Ellen seemed to want to keep this secret, but... he wasn't.

Frowning, not sure what had caused the sudden change in Lex's demeanor, Ellen shifted in the chair, ignoring the soup-cold soup, what was with that?-in front of her. "I'm sorry. I did something, didn't I?" she asked, after a long silence.

"Of course not," Lex instantly replied, though the warm, intimate tone was missing. "You're perfectly within your rights not to want anyone to know about... us." _What the hell am I doing, telling her what's bothering me? Never show a weakness!_ Lex's mind screamed at him, sounding remarkably like his father.

"Huh?" Ellen was really lost now. "Not want anyone to... Where'd you get that idea? I love you, Lex; I don't want to have to hide that away like I do so many other things!"

Lex frowned. Had he misunderstood? "When Amanda brought the soup in, you asked me not to look at you, and you whispered it so she wouldn't hear you. How else was I supposed to interpret that?"

"No!" Ignoring the fact that the chair she was sitting in was probably some expensive antique, Ellen toppled it over as she moved to Lex's side, his hand between hers and holding on tightly. "I didn't mean that I cared if she knew. I just meant that seeing you look at me like that made me just want to go back upstairs, and... and I was too nervous to say it out loud in front of her."

Desperate to get Lex to believe her, Ellen found the buzzer, pressed it, and caught Lex's face between her hands, pulling him in for a hungry, determined kiss.

Relieved and instantly aroused by Ellen's hands on him and the kiss, Lex simply gave himself up to the sensations, rising out of his seat so that he could press his full length on Ellen's. He moaned in the passionate kiss, and suddenly their privacy, or lack of it, was the farthest thing from his mind.

Not even caring that the maid was in the room, though she hadn't missed her entrance or her discreet cough, Ellen continued kissing Lex, her hands roaming everywhere she could reach, keeping herself in check so as not to destroy Lex's clothes when all she wanted was them off. "Sorry, so sorry," she gasped, between kisses. "Love you, all that matters..."

"No, 'sallright," Lex slurred, pressing impossibly closer. "I shouldn't assume the worst, not with you, never with you." He finally registered the maid's presence and asked her for more water, the first thing he could think of to get rid of her.

"Oh, Ellen, what are we going to do?" He was sure, almost sure, that the intensity between would die down and level off to a more normal plane as they grew used to each other-unless it was something to do with Ellen's elven biochemistry-but in the meantime, it was going to kill him to take Ellen back to the Kent's farm the next day.

"Love each other?" Ellen suggested tentatively. "And eat fast so that we can curl up together upstairs?" Even if her 'guardians' were cool with the whole 'oh by the way, Mr. and Mrs. Kent, I know you guys were trying to protect me, but guess what? I'm in love with Lex Luthor,' thing, she knew there was no way they were going to condone sleepovers at the Luthor castle any time in the foreseeable future.

"Sounds like a plan." Lex nodded and sat back down, reminding himself of his vow just to enjoy this time without worrying about the future yet. "Eat up; the salad will be along soon."

Hating to let go of Lex, Ellen forced herself to do just that and, after setting the chair upright again, sat and picked up a spoon then looked down at her food. "I know this soup! Um, Lex? Is it supposed to look like really runny salsa?"

He was _not_ going to laugh! Praying that his voice wouldn't tremble and betray his amusement, Lex suggested, "Why don't you try it? It's not to everyone's taste, so you may not like it, but I find it very refreshing in the hot weather."

"If you say so..." Looking doubtfully at the red soup, since she tried it before and it tasted like crap, she fixed it up, but bravely Ellen dipped up a spoonful and took a tentative taste, appearing for the entire world to be trying some new and horrible-tasting medicine. "It's... different," she offered, gamely trying another spoonful and deciding that maybe it wasn't so bad after all.

Now grinning, Lex just shook his head. "You don't have to eat it if you don't like it, you know. I don't insist that you clean your plate." He spared a thought to hope that his chef had stuck to relatively plain fare that night. He really didn't think Ellen would be impressed by a salad with five different kinds of lettuce, none of which she recognized.

"I like it; it just took a little getting used to." Ellen's coloring deepened. "Like other things." She hastily ate the rest of her soup before the maid cleared the bowl away and set a salad in front of her. "Is this our produce or are you cheating on me?" she asked, grinning.

With relief, Lex saw that it was, in fact, local produce, and he vowed to double the chef's salary the very next day. "Would I eat anything but the very best? Of course it's yours. I love eating what you produce," he added with a straight face.

She was _not_ going to laugh. "Which is the very best," Ellen managed to get out before she looked away. Knowing if this kept up, she was going to be either under or on top of the table - though that wasn't a bad idea if and when she got the nerve.

Lex laughed and behaved himself for the rest of the meal, keeping his hands to himself until they got up from the table after the final course. "Do you want to go the study for coffee and dessert or have it upstairs?" he asked. Either way was fine by Lex: Ellen in his study, naked on the fine leather of his sofa, or Ellen again in his bed, smeared with chocolate so Lex could lick her clean.

"Upstairs," Ellen replied eagerly. The meal had been good, she was sure of it, but honestly, she couldn't remember just what she'd eaten, nor did she care.

"I think I've created a monster." But Lex didn't sound at all reluctant. In fact the speed with which he drew Ellen upstairs might have made an observer wonder which one of them had the bended speed and strength.

"Mmmm, much better," he sighed once they were back in his bedroom, which he was already thinking of as theirs.

"Like you're any better," Ellen muttered as she busily divested them both of their clothes. "After all that, you still looked at me like sex the whole meal! I'm trying to pass for seventeen; I'm supposed to be obsessed. You're supposed to be an adult!"

"Please don't remind me," Lex replied in a pained tone. "Not that I have any objection to the whole obsession thing, I'm rather enjoying that. But I'd really rather not think too much about our relative ages, if you don't mind. Prison orange doesn't suit me at all."

"I bet you'd make them change the coveralls to purple," Ellen teased, pulling Lex into her arms and darting for the bed where she settled them both into the sheets - clean sheets, oh god, someone had come in here and changed the sheets!

"Well, maybe." Lex flashed a grin. "But I'd rather stay here and enjoy you than defend my nonexistent honor from somebody named Bubba." He rolled on top of Ellen and propped his chin on his wrists as he watched her with pleasure, enjoying just being able to do this now. "Anything else you'd like to try tonight?"

"What else is there?" Ellen's eyes widened as she asked the question. Blow jobs, got that, she'd been taken... she shivered a bit at the memory. What else was there without resorting to the weird stuff she'd caught glimpses of in the magazines she didn't to want look at?

"To quote an old TV show, infinite diversity in infinite combinations," Lex chuckled. "So very many ways for two bodies to come together, Ellen, and that's without any of the kinky stuff you're probably thinking of," he added. "Riding your lover is a lot of fun, and it gives both of you a lot more access to each other... and there's just plain being together and enjoying each other." The latter seemed to be exclusive to Ellen, at least in Lex's experience, but it was wonderful.

"I like the sound of that, being together." Yes, she was still aroused, but Ellen just wanted to hold and be held, touching Lex, imprinting on him. "What do you like best?"

"You." That was the easiest and most terrifying question Lex had ever been asked in his life.

"Me? That's not what I meant - Oh..." Ellen fell silent before leaning over and kissing Lex, one hand stroking over his bare chest, the other supporting them both. "That's cool."

"Then what did you mean?" Lex surprised himself with his willingness to tell Ellen whatever she wanted to know, and he thought that he was going to have to get over being surprised by his reactions to his lover. A perpetual state of surprise simply looked half-witted.

Oh damn, maybe she should have just agreed with Lex's answer. "I meant... in bed. What do you like?" Ellen managed to keep her chin up and her eyes locked with Lex's. "Hey, recent virgin here, I'm open to just about anything, besides getting pregnant."

Remembering just how open Ellen had been sent a shudder of lust down Lex's spine. "I like having my partner ride me while I'm flat on my back. It lets me touch so much and go so deep..." His voice trailed off, hoarse and hungry, and the silver-blue eyes fixed on Ellen like lasers.

"Okay. I can try." The low rasp of Ellen's voice added volumes to her simple reply, and she let go of Lex so he could recline back on the bed. "Ready when you are," she added, giving a small smile.

Eyes widening, Lex slowly sank back against the pillows while staring at Ellen. "You're amazing," he breathed, one hand stroking along Ellen's abdomen and thigh before reaching for the bottle of lubricant once again. "C'mere, I need to get you ready," he started then remembered that he didn't really, then decided that he enjoyed it, so what the hell.

Wondering if she should be worried about her blind desire to do whatever Lex wanted her to; Ellen shook her head, deciding she didn't care, not then anyway. Crawling over so that she was straddling Lex, she sat up, resting her hands on Lex's chest, her skin dark against the fairness. "Here?" she asked, tilting her head so that she could meet Lex's gaze.

Lex stared at the gorgeous body straddling him, and he knew he was lost. "I love you," he said in a strangled tone, repeating words that he'd spoken for the first time earlier that very day, now meaning them even more profoundly. This teenaged elf meant more to him than anything else.

With trembling hands he squeezed some of the lubricant onto his fingers, rubbing them together to warm it, then reached for Ellen. His fingers glided easily over the taut opening, then pushed inside, slicking her while Lex's body screamed for more.

Back arching, head tipped back, Ellen smiled almost beatifically. "Love you too," she whispered, unable to stop the rocking motion of her body as Lex slid his fingers in and out of her. "Please, Lex. I need you so bad..." she moaned, closing her eyes and whimpering as a third finger was added, but it still wasn't enough.

Equally needy, Lex stopped tormenting them both and shifted his hands to Ellen's hips, urging her up and back until she was hovering over Lex's erection. "Reach back and take me in your hand; hold me upright so that you can slide down onto me," he directed huskily. "You control how much and how fast."

How much? How fast? How about all of it, now. Not quite able to say that out loud, Ellen nodded and did as Lex instructed. His erection was hot and heavy against Ellen's palm, and she licked her lower lip as her mouth went dry. Lex's hands were moving on her sides and legs, gentling her, but Ellen didn't want gentle. Concentrating, she used magic to protect her parts and then opened her eyes, which had slipped closed some time before, Ellen met Lex's burning gaze and lowered herself in one smooth move, taking Lex into her to the force field inside her.

Lex let out a strangled scream at the tight fever-heat suddenly surrounding his cock, and he drove upward in an aborted thrust. His fingers closed on Ellen's hips hard enough to have bruised anything human, then he sank back down to the bed, panting heavily. "Dear God, Ellen... so good."

"Yes, you are," Ellen answered in between gasps for breath. This was different, deeper, and Lex felt bigger in her, but it felt so good. Rolling her hips, she experimented, trying to find the moves that made them both feel the best.

"_We_ are," Lex corrected with his final coherent thought before he gave himself up to the overwhelming pleasure he felt with this teenager, body arching up to meet each of Ellen's downward glides, both of them gasping with the sensations.

Murmuring her agreement though she was in that place where she had no idea what she was agreeing to, Ellen continued to move, undulating her hips to meet each of Lex's thrusts.

Ellen's whole body clenched. Each stroke rubbed the head of Lex's cock over the shield, and when Lex rubbed the edge of his thumb over her, sparks blossomed in front of Ellen's eyes.

"Please, yes, Lex..." she chanted, resting her hands on his lover's chest and moving faster and faster until she felt it, howling Lex's name just as she felt the first spurts deep inside her.

Lex cried out Ellen's name as he came, shuddering through the bursts of ecstasy and rippling clasp of Ellen's body. As he panted beneath the young woman, his arms wrapped around Ellen and drew her down to sprawl in satiated bliss atop Lex. Nearly boneless with post-coital lethargy, he still stroked the slender body, needing to touch Ellen to know that it was real.

"Nobody's going to come in and change the sheets under us if we don't move, are they?" Ellen asked plaintively in between nuzzling and licking Lex's neck, enjoying the taste of his sweat.

Taken aback, Lex looked baffled as he peered down at Ellen. "Uh no, we don't normally yank bedding out from under people, Ellen." Shaking his head and dismissing the odd comment, he simply luxuriated in the loving touches. "Mm, don't ever stop."

"Good, then I won't." Relaxing now that the thought of hoards of servants racing in to get rid of the sticky sheets was banished from her brain, Ellen continued tasting Lex's neck and ear, the movements getting slower and more languorous as sleep crept up on her.

"Mm, love you, Lex," she sighed, shifting just enough so that her weight was mostly on the mattress and not Lex but that they were still touching the entire length of their bodies.

"Love you too," Lex murmured, slowly being soothed into sleep, so that he never knew when he dozed off, contentedly nestled against his lover.


	6. Chapter VI Date the Girl

Chapter 6 – Date the Girl.

Eying his watch, Lex watched Ellen stall as she packed up her few things. "Come on, Ellen. If we're late getting you back, the Kents will get there before us, and then we'll really start off on the wrong foot."

"I know, I just..." Ellen sighed and twisted her bathing suit in her hands, stopping when she heard the sound of fabric beginning to give. Lex had woken her up that morning with a very romantic kiss and one that she was happy to return. After breakfast in bed, they'd tried out some more of Lex's favorite things before showering in preparation.

"Are you sure you want to be there for this?" she asked, letting go of her swimsuit with one hand and latching onto Lex's. "I can talk to them first if you want."

Lex used the hand to pull Ellen closer so he could kiss her. Once Ellen was silenced, he said, "No way. We're in this together, Ellen. I'm not going to let you face them without me. Besides," he added, trying to lighten the atmosphere, "its bad enough your hosts are going to have to deal with me seducing their gentle, young guest, I don't want Mr. Kent to think I'm too much of a coward to face him too."

"Hey, who kissed who first here?" Ellen asked, eying Lex sardonically. "It wasn't you as I recall, and that's the truth." They walked out of the bedroom together and down the hallway to the stairs and the front door. "So, does this mean you're going to help me finish the chores before they get home?"

Lex just looked at her. "Ellen, do you honestly believe that I have the faintest idea how to do any of ' the chores'? I'll keep you company while you do whatever it is that you have to do. Hmmmm, watching you get hot and sweaty could become one of my new favorite things," he mock-leered.

"Do you really want the Kents to get home to find us in the middle of what would happen if you did that?" Ellen asked, grinning before kissing the side of Lex's head. "And I'd be glad to teach you if you want." Yeah, like that would happen. Of course, the thought of Lex in dusty jeans and a dirty flannel shirt was hysterical and threatened to send Ellen into a fit of laughter.

Having a pretty good idea of what the teenager was snickering at; Lex simply looked down his nose and headed for the door, knowing that Ellen would follow. "I'll supervise... and keep my hands to myself." He really had no desire to learn how to pitch hay or whatever it was farmers did.

Ellen shook her head, but couldn't resist one last little dig before they got into the Ferrari that had been pulled up outside the castle. "Don't you have to know what the people under you are doing to supervise them?"

"A good manager doesn't need all the little details, merely to ensure that the workers are productive," Lex replied airily, choosing not to mention that he'd fire on the spot any manager who couldn't also do the job in a pinch. "Are you going to try to tell me that you don't know exactly what you need to do?"

Ellen slid into the car, buckling the seat belt as she settled herself against the soft leather. "Are you trying to tell me that you'd know if I didn't do something that needed to be done?"

Giving in, Lex laughed. "Nope, I wouldn't have a clue. I'll have to rely on your honesty... or I can sit back on the porch, drinking Mrs. Kent's lemonade, while you do the work alone?"

"I'm honest." Ellen couldn't help shifting in the seat, thinking of Lex in the barn with her or, better yet, up in Clark's loft, on the couch, shirt undone... Okay... she really needed to think of something else, or walking was going to be weird. "There's not that much to do, just checking the irrigation system, haying the cows and watering Mrs. Kent's garden, Shouldn't take more than a half hour." That she'd be doing all those with her abilities and magic went without saying, there's no way she could get everything done if not for that. "Then we can have that lemonade."

"Sounds good." Lex looked amused as he added, "I honestly don't think I've ever sat around waiting to be vetted by someone's protectors before." He shook his head slightly. "Leave it to me to save it all up for the most important time in my life."

Ellen reached over and squeezed Lex's hand. "Don't worry. Mrs. Kent likes you, and so does Clark. Mr. Kent will come around. He's already starting to, I think." Of course that was before Ellen had to tell him that Lionel Luthor's son was her boyfriend... Boyfriend! Ha! This would never get old. "I mean, what are they going to do? Yes I live under their roof but I also do not have to." And she was _not_ suggesting that she moves in with him.

Lex darted a glance at her before looking back at the road. "Hopefully it won't come to that. I'd really rather have the Kents at least accept this if not favor it. I don't want to cause problems in your family, Ellen."

"Lex I do not have family, that story about my mother... as much as I yearned for it to be true, my parents died centuries ago in another world. But this with the Kents will be fine. I know it." Raising Lex's hand off the gearshift, Ellen pressed it to her lips. "This is right; you're right for me, they'll see."

Lex thought over what Ellen had said about her mother and could share the pain of feeling alone, but since there was nothing they could do about it either way, he let it go. He pulled up in front of the Kent home and got out. "Need any help bringing your stuff inside?"

Ellen held up her swimsuit after she'd climbed out of the car and snickered. "I dunno; do you think I can carry this by myself?" Climbing the stairs, she unlocked the front door and held it open. "Want something cold to drink while you watch me get all hot and sweaty?"

"Mm, since I won't be able to do anything about it, yes, I'd better have something to cool down." Lex followed her inside and headed into the kitchen to wait, knowing that if he set foot in Ellen's bedroom, the Kents would have way too much information about their relationship before they ever had a chance to discuss it.

"Could always turn the hose on you," Ellen offered cheerfully, bounding up the stairs to put her bathing suit in the guest room, and then speeding back down to pour Lex his drink. "Or you can sit in the shade and relax; I won't be long, and you don't need to get sunburned." she suggested as she cleaned her potion mess.

Ignoring the first suggestion with the disdain it deserved, Lex shrugged. "If it'll be easier for you, I can wait here, but I'd rather be with you even if all I can do is watching you... at whatever speed you're moving." He had a feeling that Ellen might still be leery of showing him how different she was, and he wanted to make it clear that he didn't care, that he accepted Ellen exactly the way she was.

"If you're sure..." Lex's nod convinced Ellen, and she shrugged, trying to appear as if it didn't matter one way or the other. "Okay, barn first to get the hay, then out to check on the field." Then she gave him a sly grin. "You ever ridden on a tractor before?"

"No, I can't say that I have. This weekend seems to be full of firsts." Indifferent to what damage might be done to his expensive clothes and loafers, Lex followed Ellen, actually looking forward to watching Ellen sling bales of hay.

"Now why doesn't that surprise me?" Ellen snickered before leaning in and kissing Lex, then taking him by the arm to lead him to the barn.

A half an hour later, she shut off the tractor and grinned back at a decidedly hay-strewn and somewhat sweaty Lex Luthor. "Have fun?" she asked, not differentiating between the ride and the fact that Ellen had dropped a handful of hay down Lex's shirt while feeding the cows.

Lex scratched again at his chest, giving his lover a dirty look. "You, Eleniel Romanov, can be a total brat at times... and if we had time, I'd make you wash every bit of this off me." He grinned wickedly at the disappointed expression that flashed across Ellen's face. "But yes, I did. Not exactly my usual thing but I enjoyed being with you. You love it here, don't you?" Lex wasn't sure what that was going to mean for them.

Ellen frowned. "Well, yeah. It's like my home." Why wouldn't she love it here? But then, the farm wasn't the Luthor penthouse in Metropolis or a huge, empty castle, so maybe there was a difference, not that Ellen would mind being in either of those places if Lex was there.

"And I'm glad you enjoyed it. Next time you can help." Lex's mouth opened to disagree, but Ellen cocked her head, hearing the sound of a familiar truck engine several miles away. "They're back," she said, fighting the clench of nerves in her stomach. "Want to wait out here or go in the house?"

Lex really wanted to run away and take Ellen with him, but that wasn't an option. "Inside," he decided. "This isn't going to be a short conversation, and we might as well be as comfortable as possible. It's not like they'll be surprised to see me, considering my car is parked out front."

"Yeah, they do tend to notice it when it's here." Ellen bit her lower lip before smiling at Lex. "Hang on, we need to get the tractor into the barn, then we can go inside." She shifted the bulky piece of machinery into gear and drove them into the barn, stopping and turning off the engine before turning to Lex and kissing him. "I love you. Nothing's going to change that, I swear."

Lex nodded sharply, more nervous about this meeting than he'd ever been about ones on which millions of dollars were riding. "Let's hope your guardians can agree with that too." He took Ellen's hand as they walked inside to wait for the Kents in the kitchen.

Jonathan gave the red Ferrari a dirty look as he and Clark lifted theirs and Martha's overnight bag from the truck. "I suppose I should have expected him to show up while we were away." Seeing his wife's expression, he added defensively, "I know he's not his father, but he _is_ a Luthor, Martha. He could be dangerous to Clark and Ellen."

"Com'on Dad, I know Lex and he's nothing like his father." Clark said, trying to make peace.

"And all he's done so far is been their friend, Jonathan," Martha answered, placing her hand on her husband's arm and giving it a gentle squeeze. "I know you don't like the family, and I know we have to be careful, but we can't shield them from everything... as much as we want to," she added in a quieter tone as they walked up the steps.

"Hey Mr. and Mrs. Kent, Clark, How was the trip?" Ellen asked, stepping forward to give her friends a hug. Inside she was shaking and she felt sick. How the hell was she going to bring this topic up?

"It was good, although the food was nowhere near as good as Martha makes," Jonathan replied, returning Ellen's hug once he'd put the bag down. "Lex." He nodded in acknowledgment to the young man who'd stood up when they entered the kitchen.

"Mr. Kent, Mrs. Kent, Clark." Lex felt incredibly awkward, something very out of character for him, but this mattered. Not knowing what else to say, he subsided into silence, wondering how they were ever going to get through this.

"Hey, Lex." Clark gave his best friend a one-armed hug, before setting his bags down.

"Hello, Lex," Martha smiled before motioning for him to sit again. "How was your weekend, dear?" she asked, smiling at Ellen. She seemed very tense, but Martha wasn't sure why. Please, God, don't say another strange mutant appeared while they were gone.

"Good, really good." Ellen darted a look back at Lex. "We had some rain yesterday, but nothing swamped in the fields. I..." She paused, taking a deep breath. "Mrs. Kent, Mr. Kent, there's something I... we... need to talk about."

Lex had to lace his hands tightly together to keep himself from reaching out to Ellen, and he watched the Kents warily. So much was riding on this; because of Ellen's age, they could keep them apart if he and Ellen couldn't convince them that this was right for her.

Jonathan's eyes narrowed when he saw the glance Ellen shot at Lex, and he sat down, never looking away. "Has something happened, Ellen?"

"No... yes... yeah." Ellen uttered the last with finality. "Remember how I told you that the reason I wouldn't fall in love was because I was afraid of getting hurt, and you told me there was someone was out there for me, someone who is my other half, I just hadn't found him yet?"

"That's right, and we still believe it," Martha answered. She glanced at Lex and felt her stomach twist. Clark didn't say anything but was darting glances at Lex and Ellen.

"Well, I did." Knowing this was it, once she took this step, everything would change; Ellen reached over and took Lex's hand.

Praying that this wasn't going to be the last thing he did in this life, Lex curled his fingers around Ellen's, meeting the Kents' gazes nervously but directly.

Hands clenching on the edge of the table, Jonathan glared at the clasped hands. "What are you saying, Ellen? Who?" He was still hoping for a last minute reprieve that would mean that Ellen, the wonderful, special, elf girl he'd try to protect from the world, didn't have a crush on Lex Luthor.

Martha placed her hand on Jonathan's arm, knowing she couldn't stop him if he went after Lex, but hoping that she could be a calming influence before things were done and said that left permanent scars on all of them.

Ellen's expression crumbled, but she continued on, refusing to stop now. "I love Lex, Mr. Kent, and he loves me. I know it's not what you would want, but my entire being has chosen him. I..." She looked at Lex, then at their linked hands. "I belong with him. He didn't seduce me or force me. I just... I love him."

Lex winced slightly when Ellen mentioned seducing, having hoped not to have to deal with the sex part just yet, but he should have known better. Ellen simply couldn't keep secrets from the people she cared about.

"And I love Ellen too," he spoke up for the first time, knowing that it was only going to infuriate Jonathan Kent more but needing to make it clear. Too bad the Kents had no way of knowing that he'd never used those words before.

"Of course you do," Jonathan snapped, anger dripping from every word.

"Twenty-something millionaires with lurid pasts are well-known for falling in love with inexperienced small town girls. Happens all the time. No one would ever suspect you of using her!"

"Dad!" "Jonathan!" Clark and Martha gasped. _This couldn't be happening._ Martha thought; _Her baby, no, Ellen wasn't a baby or was hers, and even if she hadn't been born of her body, she still loved her. She was too young for this, and... with Lex?_

"He's not using me!" Ellen took a step forward, as if to shield Lex from Jonathan's anger. "He didn't want to; he tried not to. I did it, not Lex. Don't blame him for something I did, please." She stood where she was, a formidable wall of muscle and magic braced against her keeper's anger, but inside, she wanted to cry and curl up, though if it was with Lex or with the Kents, she wasn't sure.

Hearing Ellen's pain, Lex had to go to her, no matter what his parents thought. It wasn't even a conscious decision; one moment he was sitting at the table, the next he was standing behind Ellen, arms wrapped firmly around her, glaring angrily at Jonathan Kent, practically daring him to hurt Ellen more.

Jonathan saw Lex's instinctive reaction and the look on his face, and the ball of rage inside him loosened slightly. He still wasn't happy about this situation and would have preferred almost anyone else for Ellen, but he couldn't deny the depth of feeling revealed by Lex's actions. He really did care about Ellen.

"Sit down, you two," he sighed, sinking back into his chair. "I think we have a lot to discuss... including just what went on in the few hours we have been away, Ellen."

Needing something to do, Martha got up and poured them all glasses of lemonade, though both Lex and Jonathan looked as if they needed something stronger, and she thought she might as well. Needing to leave at that moment, Clark gathered up all the overnight bags and went upstairs to put them away.

Relaxing slightly at Jonathan's words, though she'd already had done so when Lex pressed against her back, Ellen sat next to Lex, keeping a firm hold on his hand. "We love each other," she said quietly. "I don't know what else you want me to say. I know there's the age thing and the money thing, but it... it doesn't matter. You told me that somehow I'd know when the right guy came, well, I know now." She looked over at Lex, love evident in her gaze.

Lex started to lean toward her to kiss her when he remembered Ellen's guardians were in the room and straightened up with an audible snap. Instead he raised their intertwined fingers to his lips and pressed a soft kiss to the back of Ellen's hand. He smiled slightly, the special smile that was Ellen's alone, and murmured, "I love you."

Watching them, Jonathan sighed. Much as he hated the whole situation, he could see that they really did appear to be in love. They were going to have to put some rules in place, but he remembered when he'd been a teenager and not even with the goad of loving a specific person. Besides, the barn door was open and that particular horse well and truly fled; trying to treat Ellen like an innocent virgin who had to be protected would only add more unnecessary tension to this whole insane situation.

"So what do you think happens now?"

Lex frowned slightly, darting a glance at Mr. Kent, then back to Ellen. "I'm not sure," he admitted. "In large part, that's going to depend on you and on what Ellen wants."

Jonathan nodded. "Ellen?" He reached for Martha's hand, needing her support, and the fact that Ellen had done the same with Lex didn't go unnoticed.

Ellen slumped in her chair before in-grained manners had her straightening up again. "I want a relationship with Lex, and I want you to be okay with it," she finally answered. "I know you don't like it, but just give it a chance, please? I'm not stupid; I think I'd know if someone was using me."

"Ellen, we never thought you were stupid." Martha placed her free hand on top of her husband's, wanting to stand and hug her but for the first time not sure how she would react. As for Lex using Ellen... she wanted to believe the best, and she'd try to, but if Lex Luthor hurt her girl, all the money in the world wouldn't be enough to save him from her fury.

Lex could see the warning edge in Martha's gaze, and he nodded acceptance. It would be pointless to say, since neither parent would believe it just then, but if he did somehow hurt Ellen, anything they could do to him in retaliation would be welcomed. He gripped Ellen's hand more tightly, like a lifeline, and he admitted to himself how afraid he was. Not of going to jail, he was pretty sure that he could get himself out of that with enough money and blackmail if it came to it, but of the Kents making Ellen choose and him losing.

Clark came back down the stairs quiet enough so that he wasn't noticed and took a seat next to his mother, not saying anything just listening.

Watching the young couple-and he had to accept that Ellen was a woman now, regardless of what the calendar or the law said-Jonathan saw the flash of fear in Lex's eyes, and the tight knot of his own protective, paternal fear loosened just a little more.

"So how do you plan to handle this?" he asked, reluctant acceptance clear in both words and tone.

Lex slumped in his chair, so relieved that for a moment he couldn't speak. For a second Ellen thought Jonathan was talking about sex, and blushed a furious shade of red before realizing she'd been wrong, thank God. "One day at a time, like we've been handling everything else?" she asked hopefully.

"Lex knows... everything," she added quietly Clark's eyes bulged and he looked at his parents. "Everything?" Martha couldn't stop her gasp of shock. Seeing how Ellen and Lex were interacting helped ease her worry some, but this... He could hurt Ellen _and_ Clark in so many ways. "Ellen, why..."

"Everything about me Mrs. Kent... and I had to." Ellen's expression was miserable. "I hate lying to people and Lex is a smart man; he'd have figured it out on his own eventually, and then maybe he'd think I lied about other stuff."

"Not really. You're a terrible liar, Ellen," Lex teased lightly, trying to lighten the mood. "But she's right about one thing, I would have figured it out. I would've known something was up. And that she was different," He relaxed into his chair, almost at ease, at least for the moment. "Now that I know the whole story, it'll be easier to head off pushy reporters and dirty cops."

Jonathan winced at the reminder of what Phelan did to Clark, but he had to admit that Lex Luthor on their side could have made things a lot easier, even if he didn't know about Clark's secrets yet. That is, within reason. "Define heading off," he demanded suspiciously.

Lex's lips quirked in a smile entirely devoid of humor. "Non-fatal. But that's all I'm willing to guarantee where Ellen's safety is concerned."

_I'm not the one who needs protection._ Ellen looked at Clark.

Martha sat quietly, studying Lex. Giving Jonathan's hand a squeeze, she stood and walked over to Ellen's... boyfriend. "All I'll ask you is to remember that no - no matter how she acts, Ellen's still only seventeen." She rested her hand on Lex's shoulder, giving him as much a hug as she thought he'd allow. "And her curfew's at ten on a school night."

"Mrs. Kent!" Ellen moaned, burying her head against the tabletop. "_**Ed' i'ear ar' elenea. **_I'm older than all of you put together."

Lex groaned faintly. "I never had my _own_ curfew to worry about," he muttered in a sotto voice, not dumb enough to say that aloud in front of Ellen's guardians. Meeting his lover's worried gaze, however, he smiled. If that was what it took, he could live with that. "At least that gives us a few hours once chores are done." It still amused him to hear that word coming from his lips, but he wanted to make it clear that he understood Ellen's responsibilities and wouldn't try to take her away entirely.

Jonathan nodded, hearing the unspoken message. "You'll stay for dinner, Lex?" He still wasn't happy about this turn of events, but for Ellen's sake he would give Lex a chance. And watch very carefully.

"I... yes, thank you." Lex smiled politely, then more warmly when he met Ellen's gaze again. She was worth it.

"Good, I'm glad to hear it." Martha gave Lex's shoulder another pat, then moved to kiss Ellen on the top of the head. "We've got some time before its ready, so you two can talk outside if you'd like - after you set the table." All right, Ellen wanted them to treat Lex like a part of the family, then she would until he gave her a reason not to. "And, Jonathan, will you take the suitcase upstairs for me?" she asked, brushing her auburn hair back from her face and thinking about what to make for their meal.

Feeling as if a heavy rock had been lifted from her chest, Ellen smiled radiantly at the Kents and Lex. "Sure, Mrs. Kent." Finally feeling like she wasn't going to lose Lex if she let him go, Ellen squeezed his fingers a final time before loosing them and standing. "Don't worry, only one fork and knife here to deal with, and one plate," she teased.

Lex just gave her a look before looking around helplessly. "Uh... dishes?" he asked, eying the cabinets. No way was he about to go poking around the Kents' kitchen to find things and make them think he was trying to find out their secrets or something. He looked back at Ellen. He'd figured that the time would come when they'd tell him the secret he wanted to know. Unable to resist, even though all the Kents were still in the room, he stepped closer to Ellen and kissed her lightly. "Love you," he murmured.

Watching them, Jonathan relaxed a little more, "You made the right choice Dad." Clark said as followed he father up the stairs. Jonathan smiled faintly at his son as he picked up the bag to take it up to his and Martha's room. If Lex was just pretending to love Ellen, he was wasted in business; it was an Oscar-caliber performance. But Jonathan found himself believing it was exactly what it appeared, a young couple who'd fallen in love and were willing to face the consequences.

Beaming a smile at Lex even as she turned red, Ellen kissed the taller man back. "Love you too, and they're in here." She reached up and opened a cabinet, pulling down five plates and handing them to Lex before getting the silverware from a drawer.

Even as she pulled a small roast from the refrigerator, Martha watched the two from the corner of her eye, smiling as they worked together to set the table, occasionally bumping into each other in a way she doubted was accidental. Ellen would be good for Lex; she'd help smooth the sharp edges and harsh corners in the rich young man, and maybe, maybe Lex would be good for Ellen too. Even though Ellen wasn't apart of their family, she loved her dearly and thought of her as a daughter, she loved her innocence and trust, but she was growing up, and the world would gladly eat her alive with that attitude. She wanted to keep her the same but knew she couldn't.

"All done, Mrs. Kent," Ellen called, after they'd placed the glasses and napkins on the table. "We're going outside, okay?"

"Okay, dear. Supper will be ready in an hour and a half; don't go too far."

Barely hearing Martha's reply, Lex followed Ellen outside and up to Clark's getaway in the loft, eagerly moving into Ellen's arms the moment they were alone. After a passionate kiss, he leaned in their embrace to look down at her. "Well, that didn't go nearly as badly as I feared. It looks like I will get to show you some more of my favorite things." His voice dropped to a husky, invitingly sensual purr.

"Here? Now?" Ellen asked, only half-teasing. If she thought they could get away with it, she'd have Lex naked in a second, but somehow she'd bet that Mr. Kent or Clark was going to find a reason to come in the barn quite a bit when they were out there.

"Well, Mrs. Kent did say we had an hour and a half..." Lex really wished they could, but he did _not_ want Jonathan or Clark coming out here and finding them mauling each other. That kind of embarrassment he did not need! Sighing, he curled a hand around Ellen's neck. "How 'bout the next best thing, just sitting here together, talking and kissing, clothing _not_ optional?"

"Okay..." Ellen tried to sound dejected, but if she couldn't be naked with Lex, just being curled up with him was good enough. She walked backward until they bumped into the couch and dropped down onto it, arms still around each other. "Besides I don't think Clark would appreciate it if he came up into his Fortress and it smelled like sex."

"But, I think they're gonna be okay with this." The relief was obvious in her voice as she spoke. "Mr. Kent's a little freaked, but Martha seems okay with it and Clark's your best friend so I'm sure he's on our side."

"Don't take this the wrong way, but all of them would kill me slowly if they thought I was a danger to you in any way." Lex tilted his head slightly as he watched Ellen. "Good thing I only want to take care of you. But do you think this means I might actually get to give you the occasional gift now?" he teased.

"Like your dad wouldn't do the same to me if the situations were reversed?" Ellen asked absently before leaning in to nuzzle the skin behind Lex's ear. "And maybe, on our anniversary or something." She started to snicker at that.

Stunned by the idea of Lionel Luthor doing more than making sure the Luthor reputation wasn't tarnished if anything were to happen to him, Lex could only stare at her for a long moment. "Uh, yeah. Right." He shrugged it off. "I guess I should start deciding what to get you for our one-week anniversary then."

Sensing something had bothered Lex, if only for a minute, Ellen hugged him closer. "What? Nothing for our one-day anniversary? Jerk." She of course was kidding, though she was never in a relationship like this before she didn't want to celebrate something like this in a one week increment as if it was some great accomplishment that it lasted that long. It would loose value if it was treated as such.

"As if they'd let me get away with that!" Lex laughed, nestling closer. "I think we'd be back to Mr. Kent giving me dirty looks like something he'd found on the bottom of his shoe."

Ellen sighed, hating the tension between the Kent's and her boyfriend. Slipping her hand under Lex's shirt, she rubbed her palm over his warm, firm stomach, enjoying the sensation, the rightness. "Guess you'd better not then, or maybe I'll just consider how you woke me up this morning my present."

Lex bit back a gasp as he remembered that morning and his body responded. "Ellen, I don't need to go back inside and sit down with them with a hard on!" He shifted uncomfortably. "We're going to have to make time for us though." A thumb traced the tempting fullness of Ellen's lower lip. "I'll go insane if I have to wait till you're older."

"Sorry!" Ellen apologized quickly, wanting to mouth Lex's thumb but not wanting to torture either of them. "And we will. It's summer, no school, so curfew's later, right? And I can be from here to your place in a couple of minutes with even a slow start, so transportation isn't a problem."

She paused, weighing the thought of lying to the Kents against being with Lex. "I could come over after everyone's gone to sleep and get back before dawn..."

"And be so tired that you're nodding off over your chores," Lex sighed. "I want to have as much time with you as I can, Ellen, but not at your expense." He hugged Ellen closer, pondering. "We'll find some time that doesn't involve you sneaking out."

Halfway up the stairs to check on Ellen, Jonathan overheard the conversation, and he stopped. Lex was clearly trying to do what was best for Ellen, aside from getting involved with her in the first place, so Jonathan was going to trust him until he gave him reason not to. Turning silently, he left again to go back inside, leaving the young couple alone.

"Okay," Ellen sighed, wondering how few and far between those times were going to be. That thought worried her, she wasn't exactly read up on her people's biography. She only knew how she could die and that magic was second nature. "And what are we going to do?" She gave a tiny smile. "Go to the movies and out to dinner?"

"I'm not that noble," Lex snorted. "We'll have to do stuff like that sometimes to keep them from killing me, but I'd much rather have you in my bed so we can drive each other crazy. After all, two hours in bed are a lot more fun than two hours in a movie theater."

"I'll take your word on it," Ellen chuckled, before kissing Lex again. "From what I've seen so far, I'd have to agree though."

Lex murmured happily and returned the kiss, practically crawling onto Ellen's lap as he pressed closer. "Glad to know I rank higher than Spiderman."

"Lex... I don't know what your talking about..." Ellen moaned, arching up against Lex's body, fighting to remind herself why she couldn't give in to what she wanted to do here. Her lips were covering Lex's, their tongues were sliding together, and oh gosh, if they didn't stop soon, she was going to have to change pants before dinner.

The sound of the screen door slamming broke through the haze surrounding Ellen's thoughts, and she sighed, resting her forehead against Lex's. "I hate pretending to be seventeen," she muttered.

Panting, wondering when all his good intentions went up in smoke, Lex closed his eyes. "Well, I like you just the way you are... but I do wish the laws agreed with us," he said ruefully. "God, this is going to kill me... or be the making of me, some would say. We're going to need to talk to them though. If they're really okay with this and you're willing to deal with the fallout, we don't have to hide this. Just be really sure you want to become 'the next Lex girl' at Smallville High," he warned seriously.

Ellen put on a brave face, but inwardly, she cringed. "What's the worst they could do?" she asked, gathering her resolve and her determination not to disappoint Lex or the Kents. "I mean, I'm pretty much an outsider at that place; and frankly I don't care what other people think."

"Ellen..." Lex could feel her tension, and he sighed. "This is only going to work if you're honest with me. That was a suggestion, not an order from on high. That's why I pointed out the drawbacks. And before you start getting all noble and self-sacrificing, let me just point out that if anyone does anything to you, I'll destroy them." The calm statement of fact was far more convincing than any growled threat could have been.

"Lex, I am not completely helpless. But if it makes you feel better. I like the possessiveness." Ellen looked down, considering she wanted to do just that for the people she loved all the time, how could she tell Lex that she couldn't do the same thing? "And I don't want to hide this. I cannot reveal my species, but I do not want to hide who I love, damn it!"

Lex's arms tightened around her. "It's not a decision we have to make this second. We can always come out in public as a couple whenever we want to; it's making it a secret again afterward if we do it before we're both ready that's impossible." He saw Ellen's expression. "Sure, I want to go out with you and be able to say, 'She's mine,' but I want you to be comfortable with it, Ellen. So long as _I_ know we're together, that's all I really care about."

As much as she wanted to argue, Ellen saw the wisdom in Lex's words and she nodded; probably less reluctantly than she might have under other circumstances. "If nobody knows by next year, your showing up with me at the Spring Fling will clue them in."

Lex burst into laughter. "I can go with that." He nuzzled into Ellen. "Yes, I'll go to your high school dance, Ellen... if only to make sure no one else dances with you," he teased.

"Works for me." That said, Ellen ducked and grinned, at the thought of her dancing with Lex. "And just to say it the first time you slept with anyone else would be the last time you saw me." She couldn't help the shudder of what would happen if he did cheat on her.

"As if I would want anyone else when I have you," Lex scoffed. "If you ever see me with someone else, I can guarantee you that something's going on that qualifies for Chloe's Wall of Weird." He realized what he'd just promised and stiffened slightly with an indrawn breath, but he relaxed again almost immediately, smiling into the watchful forest green/gold gaze.

"This is freaking you out, isn't it?" Ellen smiled ruefully and skimmed her fingers over the back of Lex's head, shivering at the sensation. "Don't worry, I feel the same, but it's a good weird."

"A bit," Lex admitted. "But you're right, it's good. I'm just having a little trouble keeping up with all the changes in the last twenty-four hours. Yesterday morning, I was still discreetly lusting for you from afar, and a day later, we're together, and your landlords are even sort of okay with it."

Ellen nodded. "If it wasn't for the fact that I don't feel weak or sick, I'd think it was just me."

"No, just good old-fashioned lust... and love," Lex chuckled. "God, if my father only knew what a favor he did me when he 'exiled' me to Smallville! I might never have met you otherwise." He frowned thinking of it. "You would have passed through this world with nothing holding you back. And I... I would have been a younger version of my father." He shuddered, thinking of what that would have done to everyone relationship he had here, Clark and he would grow to hate each other, that is if they ever met.

"No. I came here for a reason. I didn't know it then but I do now. If I didn't find an answer right then I wouldn't give up so easily." Ellen cupped Lex's face in her hands and stared into his eyes, seeking his soul. "You're stronger than that, Lex. Much stronger than he is, and better than he is. I know it, and I'm going to work at it until you know it too."

"I'm glad we'll never know for sure, glad I have you." Lex wondered at himself, admitting his need of an elf over a human to save him, admitting any need at all, but it was mostly reflex, and he knew that it would fade in time, thanks to Eleniel. "I'm not like him... but I could have been," he mused. "Some people do good things because they say they want to be able to look themselves in mirror; I just want to be able to look in _your_ eyes." He knew it was corny, but he had to say it, had to let Ellen know what he felt.

Stroking her thumbs over Lex's cheekbones, Ellen leaned in and kissed him with much love. "Well, I'll just have to make sure you do that every day then, won't I?" She smiled. "Not that I mind in the least."

"I think I need to send a thank you gift to Mrs. Kent's friend who got married," Lex smiled, pressing into Ellen's caress like a cat being stroked. "Who knows how long we'd have waited if they hadn't gone away."

"Considering I was afraid of fate and you were noble? Too long." The screen door creaked again, and Martha Kent's voice rose on the evening air.

"Ellen, Lex, supper! Come in and wash up!"

"This is _so_ weird." Lex got up from Ellen's lap and grinned down at his disheveled lover. "You might want to fix your shirt and your hair before we go in there," he suggested, barely restraining his laughter. And lust. Ellen looked like an invitation to sin, one Lex very much wanted to accept.

Ellen glanced down, and snickered. "Yeah, I think I can manage that. Better button yours though." She flicked a finger over the gaps she'd made when her hand was under the material, then used her fingers to come her hair, laughing when a bit of hay fluttered to the floor. "And a word of warning; don't just tell Mrs. Kent you washed up, do it. Her eyes are better then mine."

"So weird," Lex repeated. Being mothered was a new experience for him, and although it was confining, it was also oddly comforting. He shook his head in bemusement. "Washing up. Right. After you, Ellen." He caught his lover's hand in his to go inside.

"Oh, one last thing..." Ellen lifted her head, giving Lex a hard kiss, and grinning proudly when she looked at his mouth. Okay, she'd probably die of embarrassment if the Kents noticed it, but... She supposed it was just her way of announcing that Lex was hers.

"I love you."

**The End.**


	7. Chapter VII  Epilouge

**Book 2 : All Night Long Preview**

**All Night Long**

Prologue – All Work Hour Long

Trying to concentrate on the reports he had to review, Lex found himself distracted by the beams of light shining through the green banker's shade on his lamp. The color of the glass and the gold of the stand was the exact shade of Ellen's eyes when she...

"Ahh!" Lex shut down his laptop and headed for the garage and his Porsche, knowing that there was no way he was going to get any work done. Not once he'd started thinking about Ellen; Ellen, whom he hadn't seen in three days thanks to meetings and work on the farm; Ellen, who at that very moment was at the Talon with Clark and his friends.

A cappuccino was just what he needed.


	8. Author's Notes! SEQUEL is Here!

Sequel to Kiss the Girl is no Posted on my wall. Enjoy!


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